John John Florence out, Adriano de Souza still in after Round 2 heats at O’Neill Coldwater Classic
Australia’s Matt Wilkinson and Brazil’s Adriano de Souza bounced back after their Round 1 defeat at the O’Neill Coldwater Classic, the ninth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, claiming top honours
in their respective Round 2 heats that went down at Santa Cruz in California, America, on Sunday, November 4, 2012.
Wilkinson defeated Hawaii’s John John Florence in the third heat, ending the latter’s run for the coveted ASP World Title, while making his way through into the third round.
The fourth heat saw Australia’s Adam Melling succumb to De Souza, consequently getting eliminated from the competition while sending the latter into the next round.
The point-break of Steamer Lane was offered pretty demanding conditions on the latest day of the competition, making the elite tour contenders work really hard to get their hands on a couple of good scores.
After a Round 1 disappointment, Wilkinson and Florence took each other on in a man-on-man battle for the Round 3 spot.
As the battle got underway, both the surfers got off to a slow start, Wilkinson eventually managed to break free of the shackles with a 9.27 off his first business-wave and immediately backed it up with a 5.23-point ride, thus reaching a heat-total of 14.50
points.
Florence apparently seemed out of rhythm and only managed to collect a 4.93 and 3.73 off his best-two waves, thus finishing with a heat-total of 8.66 points.
“It’s a really tricky wave and there are so many elements that can make a good wave bad. It was a relief when I got that 9. I started off on a wave that I thought was perfect and there was so much wonky stuff going on. I just decided to wait for a bomb and
when that one was coming I was super nervous. I knew if I just surfed it I’d get an 8. It was a perfect wave and I got a good score so I’m stoked,” said Wilkinson after the heat.
The fourth heat saw De Souza earned a 6.50 off his first business-wave and later backed it up with a 6.93-point ride, thus reaching a heat-total of 13.43 points.
Melling responded with a heat-total of 11.50 points, which included a 6.17 and 5.33-point ride, thus conceding victory to his rival.
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