Jadson Andre and Mick Fanning prevail in Round 1 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
The surfing action of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour continued at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa with the third and fourth heat of Billabong Pro Jeffrey Bays’ Round 1 on Friday, July 15th.
Brazil’s Jadson Andre remained the most impressive during the third heat to clinch the win and go straight to third round. Australia’s Taj Burrow finished in runner-up place, while America’s Gabe Kling rounded out the third position. Both of them were relegated
to the second round.
The fourth heat saw Australia’s Mick Fanning assert his excellent form by dominating Brazil’s Heitor Alves in a one-on-one battle as the third surfer in the original line-up, America’s Bobby Martinez, was absent from the event site. Alves and Martinez both
were relegated to Round 2.
As the third heat kicked off, the 21-year-old Andre got down to business right away, riding a wave and pulling off impressive tricks to earn 6.17 points and take the lead. Burrow responded with a 5.17-point wave and soon added another 4.83 points to his
account to move to a two-wave total of 10.00.
The Australian remained in lead for most of the heat, with Andre keeping his hunt for another good score going to reclaim the lead. America’s Kling was also desperately searching for a good score, but he ended up with 4.33 and 3.80 as his best scores and
finished with a two-wave total of 8.13.
Andre managed to add another 6.73 points to his account in the final minutes of the heat to climb to a heat-total of 12.90 and move ahead of Burrow, eventually taking the win and dispatching Burrow to the second round along with Kling.
The former two-time ASP World Champion and currently No.8 on the ASP World Tour Rankings, Fanning remained the highlight of the fourth heat. His surfing prowess remained unmatched, allowing him to clinch the win.
Almost halfway through the heat, he caught his first business wave, unleashing fast turns and flips to earn 8.33 points. Adding a 7.40 to his account in the final minutes of the battle, he moved to a two-wave total of 15.73 points.
In his post-heat interview, the 29-year-old Australian said, “There were definitely some fun waves out there. It’s great to put the jersey back on and mix it up with the boys. Board feels good and I’m happy to be straight through to Round 3. Hope we can
get some solid swell out there for the competition.”
Brazil’s Alves was unable to stay at par with his intimidating Australian. He got off to a weak start, managing to add a mere 4.67 to his account, but soon earned 7.50 points off a wave. Unable to find another good wave for the rest of the heat, he finished
with a heat-total of 12.17 points and was forced to surrender victory to Fanning and move to Round 2.
Martinez was unable to make it to his first round heat and as per the rules of the competition; his name was automatically moved to the sudden-death Round 2. As per the new rule, he would be replaced by another surfer if he was unable to show up for his
second round heat on time and the five-minute waiting period would have passed.
For more updates on Round 1 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, stay tuned to bettor.com
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