Jano Belo and Blake Thornton win Round 5 to advance to Mr. Price Pro Ballito quarterfinals
The elimination Round of 12 (Round 5) of Mr. Price Pro Ballito wrapped up with the third and fourth heat at Surfers Beach in Ballito, South Africa, on Friday, July 8th.
Australia’s Julian Wilson defeated Brazil’s Jano Belo in the third heat to eliminate his rival from the competition and go through to the quarter-finals.
In the fourth heat, it was Australia’s Blake Thornton who prevailed over his compatriot, Kai Otton, to clinch the last quarter-final spot that was on offer.
As the third heat kicked off, Belo went to work immediately, locking a wave in the opening minutes to collect 2.67 points off it. He immediately followed it up with a much better 6.33-point wave to climb to a heat-total of 9.00 points.
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World No. 30, Wilson, had been enjoying his trip to Ballito immensely, something that was quite evident in his impressive and consistent performances over the last few days. There was hardly anyone who expected
the Australian to face any problem in beating Belo’s heat-total of 9.00.
Living up to the expectations, Wilson responded with a 7.20-point first wave and performed the coup de grace with his remarkable second wave, earning 8.33 points off it, to move to a heat-total of 15.53. After such a dominating performance, he would surely
be soaring with confidence while facing his next challenge during the quarter-finals.
During his post-heat interview, Wilson said, “I had a tough start to the year and things just feel like they are clicking together now. I've been putting in the hard work and trying to figure out what works and it feels like I've found my groove. It’s awesome
confidence to take to JBay.”
The final heat of Round 5 turned out to be a low-scoring one, with both Thornton and Otton facing difficulty in catching waves and riding them cleanly.
Though Thornton only managed to ride four waves, he scored 4.50 points off his first one and added another 3.87 points to his account from his second wave to finish with a heat-total of 8.37 points.
Getting to an unimpressive start, Otton only managed to secure 2.17 points off his first wave. Though his second wave turned out to be much better, earning him 5.67 points, he was still unable to surpass his rival’s heat total, falling 0.53 points short.
As a result, Thornton advanced to the quarter-finals, while Otton was eliminated from the competition.
The conclusion of heat 4 marked the completion of Round 5 as well as the quarter-finals field. The event organisers decided to call it a day after Round 5, making Saturday the day when the fate of the latest ASP Prime event would be decided.
For updates on the quarter-finals of Mr. Price Pro Ballito, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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