Gabriel Medina defeats Kelly Slater to enter Rip Curl Pro Semi-Finals – 2011 ASP World Tour
The intensity at Ocean Beach in San Francisco, America, rose to new heights as the Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco continued on Monday, November 7, with America’s Kelly Slater and Brazil’s Gabriel taking each other on for the coveted Semi-Final slot.
The showdown turned out to be nothing short of truly epic and kept the crowd holding their breath until the very last minute. An outstanding last-minute effort by Medina got him ahead of Slater to seal the fate of the battle in his favour, consequently eliminating
the latter from the contention for the event title.
With the 11th ASP World Title already to his name, the 39-year-old Slater had little reason to feel any pressure as he entered the Quarter-final stage. The Floridian had been simply outstanding throughout his career and the latest season of the
elite ASP tour had been no different for him. The last two months had seen him in an even deadlier form and he had successfully carried the momentum to San Francisco. He smoothly drilled through the early rounds to enter the crucial Quarter-Finals stage.
Pitted against Slater in the Quarter-Final was Medina, the young Brazilian prodigy. Just 17 years of age, the young sensation had already justified his presence among the ranks of the elite ASP surfers by winning Quiksilver Pro France just a few weeks after
getting incepted into the ASP World Tour following the mid-year cut. He had already faced Slater during Round 4 of Rip Curl Pro Search, though that had not ended well for him. Fate had given him a second chance at reaping vengeance and though Slater was much
more skilled and experienced as compared to him, Medina was expected to make things interesting.
As the second Quarter-Final kicked off, Slater immediately locked a wave to post a 5.83 on the score-board, taking an early advantage. However, Medina stripped him off the lead by earning 6.00 off his first wave.
As the heat went on, both the surfers kept hunting for a competitive score to seal the deal. Slater managed to add an additional 5.27 points to his account, taking his heat-total to 11.10 points. Medina desperately searched for an adequate response and just
when it seemed that the battle seemed to have slipped out of his hands, he locked a juicy wave to unload a combination of spectacular tricks, earning a decisive 8.50 points for the effort and sealing the fate of the contest in his favour.
For updates on the third Quarter-Final of Rip Curl Pro Search San Francisco, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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