Laura Enever downs Stephanie Gilmore to reach Vans US Open of Surfing quarter-finals – Surfing news
Australia’s Laura Enever successfully made it through into the quarter-finals at the Vans US Open of Surfing, the sixth of eight stops on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Championship Tour, after getting the better of her
compatriot Stephanie Gilmore in the first heat of Round 4 that went down at the Huntington Beach Pier in California, America, on Friday, July 26, 2013.
The match-up was always expected to be high on intensity and full of fireworks, but seeing Gilmore succumbing to Enever was something that very few had expected.
The peaky two-to-four foot waves on offer at the Huntington Beach Pier on the latest day of the Vans US Open of Surfing once again proved to be an ideal setting for a series of enthralling battles between the top female surfers from around the globe.
Gilmore, reigning five-time ASP Women’s World Champion, had been struggling to find rhythm and consistency since arriving in California. She had gotten off to a weak start and despite looking a shadow of her former self in Round 2, she stumbled once again
in Round 3 to find herself pitted against Enever in the fourth round.
Enever had not been in her best form either and thus the odds were definitely not in her favour during her battle against her compatriot who was in a rather uncharacteristic form.
However, the 21-year-old managed to step-up just when it was needed and issued the round’s biggest upset by out-performing Gilmore with a heat-total of 12.46 points, comprising of a 6.83 and 5.87-point ride, against her rival’s two-wave total of 11.23 points.
“It’s always good to win and I’m stoked to make it to quarters,” Enever said. “Steph’s amazing and she only needed a 6.5 at the end. I’ve had some sketchy heats this year and I’m happy to get a little roll going. I want to make the top 10 and this will help
me. I’ve got Courtney (Conlogue) in the next round and she’s a local here so I know it’s going to be a tough heat.”
With her triumph in Round 4, Enever qualified into the quarter-finals, where she was to go against local favourite Courtney Conlogue.
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