Josh Kerr and Kai Otton prevail in Round 3 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
Billabong Pro Tahiti continued to treat the fans to intense surfing action with the second and third heat of Round 3 on Friday, August 26, at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti.
The second heat saw Australia’s Josh Kerr edge past his compatriot Julian Wilson after a real nail-biter, to secure his place in Round 4, consequently removing his rival from the competition.
Australia’s Kai Otton prevailed over his countryman, Adrian Buchan, in the third heat to move to the next round while removing his competitor from the event.
The battle between the 27-year-old Kerr and 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour rookie, Wilson, turned out to be a thrilling affair as both the countryman went hard at each other while seeking a place in the next round. Even though
Kerr had an advantage when it came to experience, the 22-year-old Wilson did well to minimise the impact of this difference as much as possible.
As the third heat kicked off, Wilson immediately took the lead by throwing an outstanding combo of flips and turns on the first wave to score 9.67 points. Kerr responded with an 8.00-point wave to keep the pressure from mounting.
The younger of the two Australians soon added an additional 7.20 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 16.87 points. With a few minutes left on the heat-clock, Kerr dug deep into his bag of tricks to pull out a spectacular manoeuvre, earning 9.70
points for the effort. Finishing with a heat-total of 17.70 points, Kerr sealed the fate of the battle in his favour and advanced to the next round.
The next heat featured the second perfect 10 of the event, earned through an exceptional string of tricks by the 31-year-old Otton. The perfect start placed him in a dominating position early on. After a long and patient hunt, he eventually added an additional
3.60 points to his account, finishing with a heat-total of 13.60 points. The heat-total remained unbeatable until the end, eventually carrying him off to victory and confirming his spot in the next round.
Buchan was put under immense pressure by his rival’s perfect-10 wave from the very first minute and failed to make a recovery as the heat progressed. Collecting 4.00 and 6.33 points off his two top waves, he finished with a heat-total of 10.33 points, surrendering
victory and getting eliminated from the competition as a result.
For more updates on Round 3 of Billabong Pro Tahiti, stay tuned to bettor.com
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