Kai Otton eliminates Willian Cardoso to qualify for the final of Saquarema Surf Pro International
In the second semifinal heat of the Saquarema Surf Pro International, the Australian surfer Kai Otton grabbed the highest heat score of 14.27 to get the better of his opponent, Brazilian surfer Willian Cardoso and qualify for the final of the event. Cardoso
could only manage a lowly 5.04 points in the semifinal, played at Ituana Beach, Saquarema in Brazil on Sunday, May 29.
A champion here in 2010, Willian Cardoso wasn’t very pleased with his heat in the semifinal today and the conditions for surfing at the event site. According to Cardoso, the inconsistent tides mixed with bad weather, made it close to impossible for him to
lock a decent wave and score some points.
The Brazilian had a pretty decent tournament until the semifinals and it seemed that he had a slight edge over his opponents in terms of having the knowledge of waves at Saquarema. However, the home-advantage seemed to have deserted him when he couldn’t
brave his home-waves.
Surprisingly however, the local boy's statement was countered by the winner of the semifinal heat, Kai Otton. The Australian said that he really enjoyed the conditions at Saquarema, and he couldn't have asked for a better performance from himself. The surfer
admitted that the conditions could come as a surprise for a lot of surfers, but said he believed in his ability to conquer the high tides at Ituana, something he did quite remarkably.
Otton will now compete with the Brazilian surfer Raoni Monteiro in the final heat of the Saquarema Surf Pro International, which promises to be a spectacle for the surfing audiences. Monteiro surfed past Lincoln Taylor in the quarter final in a heat that
turned out to be smooth sailing for the former.
Both, Otton and Monteiro seem to be hitting prime form just at the right time in the event and it will be interesting to see who bags the winner’s prize of US$ 40,000, and who settles for the runner-up purse of US$ 20,000.
The final of the Saquarema Surf Pro International will be held on Sunday, May 29.
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