Julian Wilson defeats Daniel Ross in Round 5 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay
The surfing action continued at the coastline of Jeffreys Bay in South Africa with the second heat of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay’s Round 5 on Saturday afternoon, July 23rd.
Australia’s Julian Wilson came up with an impressive performance during the heat to clinch a convincing win over his compatriot, Daniel Ross. The success allowed him to advance to the quarter-final stage, while removing his rival from the competition.
The 22-year-old Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour rookie, Wilson, was indeed enjoying an excellent form at the latest stop of the Tour. He had gotten through the first round without a scratch and sent everyone in awe during the third
round with a perfect 10-point wave. It had taken something special from Australia’s Adrian Buchan to keep his countryman at bay during their Round 4 meeting.
While Wilson did not have much to prove in the fifth round, he surely needed to come up with a decent performance during his battle against the 28-year-old Ross to ensure his survival in the event.
Facing Ross in the sudden-death heat, the younger of the two Australians wasted no time in proving his form to be superior to that of his rival. Almost half-way through the heat, he locked a wave to pull off a combination of stylish tricks to add 7.33 points
to his account.
A few minutes later, Wilson caught yet another juicy wave and this time went for even more technical manoeuvres. The effort got rewarded with a score of 7.93, taking him to a heat-total of 15.26 points.
While his rival was on a roll, Ross was evidently lacking rhythm. Not only was he struggling to catch waves, he was failing to utilise them to their maximum potential. His top scoring waves added a 5.33 and 6.00 to his account, making him finish with a heat-total
of 11.33 points. This unimpressive effort by Ross allowed Wilson to claim victory and advance to the quarter-finals.
During his post-heat interview, Wilson said, “It’s been an exhausting day of surfing. Without the jet-ski assist and the long paddles, you’re definitely exerting a lot of energy out there. I gave my Round 4 heat everything I had and I came in a bit angry
that I didn’t come away with the win. That probably wasted a bit more energy. I knew I had to throw everything I had against Rossy [Dan Ross] and I’m stoked to come away with the win. It’s my best result on tour so far.”
After a successful Round 5, Wilson will head off to the quarter-finals to face Buchan once again. The young Australian would be looking for vengeance, though his rival has a little psychological advantage by already beating him once. It would be surely interesting
to see how their next battle unfolds.
For more updates on Round 5 of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, stay tuned to bettor.com
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