Kelly Slater dominates Taj Burrow to clinch 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing quarterfinal spot
The exquisite surfing action continued at the Huntington Beach Pier, California, with the second heat of 2011 Nike US Open’s non-elimination Round of 12 (Round 4) on Friday afternoon, August 5.
America’s legendary Kelly Slater once again proved to be truly in a class of his own as he dominated the second heat despite being pitted against two extremely talented surfers, namely Australia’s Taj Burrow and America’s Tanner Gudauskas, who finished second
and third respectively. The victory allowed Slater to advance directly to the quarter-finals, while sending his rivals to the knock-out Round of 12 (Round 5).
Performing in their own backyard was just the sort of thing that made people like Slater seem invincible and pretty much killed the spirits of their opponents. The home advantage and local knowledge of the waves was tilting the scales even more steeply in
Slater’s favour during the current ASP Prime event, allowing him to comfortably make his way to the fourth round.
Facing his in-form compatriot Gudauskas and celebrated Australian surfer, Burrow, in the second heat of Round 4, Slater found himself in his toughest battle of the competition yet. Both his rivals had come up with consistent performances to down their rivals
to earn their place in Round 4, making them formidable opponents.
As the heat commenced, Slater immediately stole the spotlight with his near-perfect surfing and locked a series of waves that kept on mounting pressure on his rivals. After driving through a clean barrel, the surfing icon pulled off a huge front-side no-grab
air, sending the spectators and judges in complete awe. He finished the heat with a well-deserved heat-total of 18.77 points, completely sealing the fate of the contest.
Talking to the reporter after the heat, Slater said, “I saw some barrels before my heat so I went out there to try and find some and I wanted the airs because the wind is perfect for the airs on those rights. There are some fun peaks. You try not to peak
too early in these events and if you have a really good heat like I just had, you kind of readjust and know that you can’t always go to that level of scores.”
The 33-year-old Burrow tried putting up a fight, but to no avail and had to eventually settle for second place with a heat-total of 14.50 points. Gudauskas was left helpless by his countryman’s onslaught as well and finished third with a two-wave total of
10.00 points. Getting relegated to the knock-out Round 5, they would have one last chance to stay alive in the competition.
For more updates on Round 4 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, stay tuned to bettor.com
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