Jeremy Flores and Adrian Buchan enter Round 4 of Quiksilver Pro France – 2011 ASP World Tour
The intense surfing action continued at the renowned beach-break of La Graviere in France on Sunday, October 9, as France’s Jeremy Flores faced Australia’s Kai Otton in the third heat, while Australia’s Adrian Buchan squared off with America’s Patrick Gudauskas
in the fourth heat of Quiksilver Pro France’s Round 3.
The third heat turned out to be pretty exciting, with both surfers putting up a determined fight to get their hands on a Round 4 spot. In the end, however, it was Flores who managed to walk away with top honours, consequently going through to the next round
while removing Otton from the contention for the event title.
Buchan did not receive much of a challenge from Gudauskas during the fourth heat and eventually walked away with a convincing victory, getting his place confirmed in the fourth round and bringing the competition to a premature end for his rival.
The clean five-foot waves gracing the primary event site on Sunday were not something that the surfers had hoped for during their pursuit of the ASP World Title. While the size of the waves was quite evidently not a concern, it was their unexpected nature
that troubled the surfers, keeping them from getting their hands on big scores.
However, the 23-year-old Flores defied the odds during the third heat of Round 3 to find a set of really good scores to triumph over Otton. The Frenchman wasted no time in taking control of the heat by locking a wave to unleash a series of exquisite manoeuvres,
earning a 7.67 for the effort. The Australian kept the battle alive by posting a 5.50 on the score-board a short while later.
As the battle reached the half-way stage, Flores added yet another 7.67 to his account, moving to a heat-total of 15.34 points. Despite having an ample time at hand, Otton was unable to get his hands on the necessary score and only managed to collect a 6.50
off his second business-wave, consequently finishing with a heat-total of 12.00 points. The 3.34-point wave deficit forced him to surrender victory to his French rival and get evicted from the competition.
Before the heat finished, Flores ended up reinjuring his ankle, making his participation in Round 4 doubtful for the time-being.
The fourth heat pitted the 29-year-old Buchan against Gudauskas for the Round 4 spot. The battle turned out to be a thrilling affair, with both the surfers refusing to give in until the very last minute.
As the battle commenced, Gudauskas went through a series of waves before posting a 3.33 on the score-board. Buchan struggled to come up with an adequate response initially, but managed to score a 6.50 off a wave in the final minutes of the battle.
The Australian kept the late charge going by unleashing a combination of impressive tricks on the last wave to add another 7.33 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 13.83 points. Gudauskas needed to get a really big score off his last wave, which
he failed to do so and instead scored a 6.93 to finish off with a heat-total of 10.26 points. The 3.57-point deficit forced him to concede victory to his Australian rival, Buchan, sending him through to the next round.
For updates on Round 3 of Quiksilver Pro France, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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