Julian Wilson and Mick Fanning advance to Round 4 of Hurley Pro – 2011 ASP World Tour
The intense surfing action continued at the iconic point-break of Lower Trestle in California, America, with the 11th and 12th heat of Hurley Pro’s Round 3 on Tuesday afternoon, September 20.
The 11th heat saw Australia’s Julian Wilson exhibit his impressive form to take down his compatriot, Matt Wilkinson, consequently securing his place in the fourth round while eliminating his opponent from the competition.
Australia’s Mick Fanning continued to build momentum with an outstanding performance to defeat America’s Taylor Knox in the 12th heat. The victory sent him to Round 4, while removing the latter form the contention for the event title.
The latest day of the competition was blessed by high-performance waves but the strong on-shore winds kept making it difficult for the surfers to make the most of the waves on offer. However, the ASP surfers were expected to adjust to the conditions and
fight tooth and nail to extend their life in the competition.
As the 11th heat kicked off, Wilkinson drew first blood, catching a wave to score 5.00 points off it. He immediately followed it up with a 4.00-point wave, moving to a heat-total of 9.00 points.
The 30-year-old progressive Australian surfer, Wilson, responded to his countryman’s performance with an early 6.50-point wave. In the later stages of the heat, he locked a wave to pull off a string of impressive tricks, earning 7.73 points for the effort
and rising to a heat-total of 14.23 points. The score earned him a convincing victory over Wilkinson and secured his place in the next round.
The final heat of Round 3 pitted the former two-time ASP World Champion, Fanning, against Knox. The Australian had faltered in Round 1, but made a strong comeback in Round 2. On the other hand, Knox had performed exceptionally well in his Round 1 heat to
move directly into Round 3, which would have surely given him a great deal of confidence.
As the man-on-man showdown between the two experienced surfers got underway, Fanning got himself a decent start by locking a wave to earn 6.93 points off it and take the lead. He soon caught another juicy wave to unload a series of exquisite tricks, earning
8.00 points for the effort and moving to a heat-total of 14.93 points.
Knox got off to a slow start, but slowly built up momentum to eventually make a late charge. He scored 6.80 points off his first business-wave to keep his chances at victory alive. However, he failed to add the necessary score to his account off his second
business-wave and finished with a heat-total of 13.17 points in the end. The 1.76-point deficit forced him to surrender victory to his rival, consequently getting ejected from the competition.
For updates on Round 4 of Hurley Pro, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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