Josh Kerr defeats Heitor Alves to clinch Quarter-final spot at Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast
Australia’s Josh Kerr got the better of Brazil’s Heitor Alves in the second heat of Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast’s Round 2 that went down at Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia, on Tuesday, February 28.
The crucial Round 5 win served to add Kerr to the Quarter-finals line-up while removing Alves from the contention for the event title.
The best surfers from around the globe had converged to Snapper Rocks to kick off their latest campaign for the coveted Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Title. Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast was considered to be a special event as it allowed the
surfers to gain momentum that could help them throughout the season.
Both Kerr and Alves were also determined to collect a successful result in the opening event of the 2012 ASP World Tour. They had struggled to show consistency in the previous rounds, though they still remained alive in the race for the event title.
Kerr had succumbed to Brazil’s Adriano de Souza while Alves succumbed to America’s Kelly Slater in Round 4.
As a result, they found themselves pitted against each other in a battle for survival and a place in the Quarter-final.
As the battle got underway, Kerr got off to a good start, locking a wave in the opening minutes of the heat to unload a series of exquisite to post a 6.67 on the score-board, taking an early lead and putting his rival under pressure.
As the heat progressed, he managed to add an additional 7.77 to his account to take his heat-total to 14.44 points.
Alves got off to a shaky start, clearly troubled by the challenging two-to-three foot waves on offer at Snapper Rocks. Almost halfway through the heat, he managed to post a 5.17 on the score-board. He required a big score off his second business-wave to
have a chance at beating his Australian rival, but the wall proved to be too high for him to climb. Despite a determined and desperate search, he only managed to add a 4.67 on the score-board, moving to a heat-total of 9.84 points. The 4.60-point deficit forced
him to surrender victory to Kerr, sending the latter into the next round.
The surfing action continued at Snapper Rocks on Tuesday as the remaining heats of Round 5 went down to determine who clinched the final-two spots in the Quarter-finals.
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