Jordy Smith and Taj Burrow survive Round 2 of Rip Curl Pro Portugal – 2011 ASP World Tour
The latest stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Rip Curl Pro Portugal, resumed at the beach-break of Supertubos in Peniche, Portugal, on Monday, October 17, with the opening heat of Round 2 pitting South Africa’s Jordy
Smith against Brazil’s Bruno Santos, while the second heat saw Australia’s Taj Burrow compete with Portugal’s Francisco Alves for the Round 3 spot.
The first heat saw Smith comfortably prevail over Santos to clinch top honours and advance through into the third round, consequently removing his opponent from the contention for the event title.
Burrow came up with an outstanding performance in the second heat to triumph over Alves, consequently securing the Round 3 stop while bringing the competition to a premature end for his opponent.
The surfing conditions at the primary event site turned out to be almost flawless, with clean six-to-eight foot waves gracing the banks of Supertubos on Monday. The stage was set for a series of epic showdowns as the surfers sought to keep their heads from
getting cut during Round 2.
The 23-year-old Smith had been relegated to Round 2 after a shocking defeat in the first round. However, the South African was expected to bounce back strongly despite a poor start to the competition and that is exactly what he managed to do on Monday while
facing Santos in the first heat of the second round.
As the heat kicked off, Santos drew first blood by locking a wave to unload a series of exquisite manoeuvres and posted an impressive 8.50 on the score-board. Smith kept the pressure from mounting by responding with a 7.67-point wave, narrowing the gap between
him and his rival.
Making yet another charge, the South African surfer caught a wave to showcase an impressive combination of various tricks, collecting 8.07 points for the effort and moving to a heat-total of 15.74 points. Santos hunted hard for another competitive wave-score,
but the effort remained futile and he eventually had to settle for a heat-total of 10.97 points, finishing in a 4.77-point deficit. As a result, Smith moved through into the third round while Santos got eliminated from the competition.
The second heat saw Burrow remind everyone why he is considered among the best in the sport. With excellent surfing conditions at hand, the 33-year-old Australian held nothing back and treated the crowd to a stunning performance. Showcasing his skills and
style on a couple of really juicy waves, he finished the heat with a two-wave total of 16.10 points, which eventually served to seal the fate of the contest in his favour.
On the other hand, his rival Alves was unable to read the conditions properly and ended up looking miserable during the 30-minute battle. He finished off with a heat-total of 6.57 points, consequently getting removed from the contention for the event title.
For more updates on Round 2 of Rip Curl Pro Portugal, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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