Jordy Smith and Adriano de Souza qualify for the quarter-finals at 2012 Hurley Pro
South Africa’s Jordy Smith and Brazil’s Adriano de Souza made it through into the quarter-finals at the 2012 Hurley Pro, the sixth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, after clinching top honours in
their respective Round 5 heats that went down at Lower Trestles in California, America, on Thursday, September 20.
Smith comfortably got the better of Australia’s Josh Kerr in the third heat, allowing him to advance to the next stage of the competition while sending his rival packing.
The fourth heat saw Brazil’s Gabriel Medina getting stunned by an outstanding performance by De Souza, getting eliminated from the event as a result while allowing the latter to confidently make his way through into the quarter-finals.
The clean three-to-four foot waves breaking at the primary event site presented a perfect canvas for the elite ASP surfers to put their exciting surfing prowess on display, promising to provide plenty of entertainment for the huge crowd in attendance at
Lower Trestles.
After failing to get their hands on a desirable result during their Round 4 heats, both Smith and Kerr found themselves facing-off in the third heat of Round 5, with the pressure of elimination hanging over their heads.
As the battle got underway, Smith got off to a decent start and went on to assert his authority over his rival with an impressive 8.43-point ride. He soon locked his second business-wave and unleashed a series of exciting tricks to earn a 7.50 for the effort,
thus reaching a heat-total of 15.93 points.
Kerr appeared pretty rusty throughout the course of the heat and only managed to get to a heat-total of 9.57 points after collecting a couple of scores in the four-point range, thus tasting defeat.
The fourth heat turned out to be a Brazilian affair, with two of the most exciting talents from the region taking each other on in a battle for survival.
Medina drew first blood with a pretty ordinary 4.67-point ride and went on to back it up with a 4.90-point wave, reaching a heat-total of 9.57 points as a result.
De Souza, however, was nothing short of spectacular, looking as good as ever while navigating his way through the waves to lock the juiciest opportunities on offer. Earning a 9.30 off his first business-wave and going on to back it up with a 9.00-point ride,
the Brazilian powerhouse finishing with a heat-total of 18.30 points, clinching a comfortable win as a result.
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