Lakey Peterson and Sally Fitzgibbons advance to 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing final
The final stop of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour, 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, kept the thrilling action going with the semi-finals at the Huntington Beach Pier, California, on Saturday, August 7.
The first semi-final saw America’s Lakey Peterson barely edge past Hawaii’s Carissa Moore to walk away with top honours, securing a place in the final.
Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons triumphed over Hawaii’s Coco Ho after a real intense battle in the second semi-final to go through to the finals.
The first of the two semi-finals pitted the young American sensation, Peterson, against the in-form Moore in a battle for the coveted Final spot. With the 2011 Women’s World Championship title already in her bag, the Hawaiian was free from pressure as she
took Peterson on in clean two-to-four foot waves.
As the heat kicked off, the 18-year-old Moore locked a wave to earn 6.50 points off it and gain an early lead. However, her American rival managed to rise up to the challenge and respond with an impressive 7.00-point wave to move ahead on the scoreboard.
The 2011 World Champion reclaimed the lead by catching a wave to unload a series of exquisite manoeuvres, earning an impressive 8.10 points and moving to a heat-total of 14.60 points.
Despite facing a daunting task, Peterson came through, earning 7.67 points off her second wave in the final minutes of the battle to move past her rival with a heat-total of 14.67 points, consequently claiming the win.
Commenting on the intense heat later in the day, Peterson said, “My heat against Carissa (Moore) felt like no pressure and I just wanted to go for it and I’m just so excited to win that heat. I’ve always wanted to surf against Carissa. She really pushes
my surfing to the next level and is an amazing friend.”
The conclusion of one intense semi-final simply made way for another one, with the current ASP World No.2 Fitzgibbons competing against Ho for the title shot.
As the heat kicked off, Ho immediately moved ahead of her rival by earning 6.33 points off her first business wave and maintained the lead for most part of the battle. However, the 17-year-old Fitzgibbons eventually collected a 6.23-point wave and immediately
followed it up with an outstanding 8.23-point wave, finishing with a heat-total of 14.46 points.
Despite a desperate hunt, Ho failed to find the necessary score and finished with a heat-total of 14.16 points after earning 7.83 points off her second business wave. The 0.30-point deficit forced her to surrender victory to Fitzgibbons, sending her off
to the finals.
For updates on the Women’s Final of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, stay tuned to bettor.com
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