Kelly Slater prevails in Round 1 of Billabong Pro Tahiti – 2011 ASP World Tour
The Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour action continued with the sixth heat of Billabong Pro Tahiti’s Round 1 at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti, on Saturday, August 20.
America’s Kelly Slater exhibited his exceptional array of skills and experience to prevail in the three-man battle and advance directly to Round 3. Australia’s Daniel Ross had to settle for runner-up place, while Tahiti’s Heiarii Williams rounded out the
top three. Both the surfers were relegated to Round 2 to earn their place in the third round.
The 39-year-old Slater is undoubtedly the best there is in the sport and raises the level of every competition that he enters. While he missed out on the previous stop of the ASP World Tour, he did not fail to show up for the latest event and resumed the
campaign for his 11th ASP World Tour title.
With clean four-to-six foot waves and clear weather at the event site, the stage was all set for an exciting match-up.
Once the heat kicked off, Kelly slowly built up momentum to eventually lock his first business wave and earn 6.63 points off it. After another patient hunt, he eventually caught a juicy wave in the dying minutes of the battle to throw a series of impressive
manoeuvres, earning 7.33 points for the effort. The two-wave total of 13.96 proved sufficient to carry him off to victory and secure his place in the third round.
Talking about the heat later on, Slater said, “I wanted to get the deep south ones. I’d seen enough of those ones in the earlier heats to think they were out there. I got a few small ones that didn’t work out. I was a bit greedy and trying to stay in the
barrel a bit longer than I should have. Rossy (Dan Ross) got pushed up the point and I was fortunate to bag a wide one and that made the difference.”
Despite facing such an intimidating opponent in his very first heat of the competition, Ross put up a determined fight till the very end. Scoring 6.50 and 6.57 points off his two best waves, he finished the heat with a two-wave total of 13.07 points and
lost the top slot to Slater by just a 0.89-point deficit.
Williams remained the most unthreatening opponent during the three-man battle and finished in third place after a earning a two-wave total of 10.67 points.
Ross and Williams would be facing a do-or-die situation as they make their way into Round 2 to avail the opportunity of extending their life in the competition.
For more updates on Round 1 of Billabong Pro Tahiti, stay tuned to bettor.com
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