Malia Manuel and Lakey Peterson prevail in Round 2 of TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival – Surfing News
Hawaii’s Malia Manuel and America’s Lakey Peterson emerged triumphant in their respective Round 2 heats of the TSB Bank NZ Surf Festival featuring the Dow AgroSciences Pro, third of seven stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s
World Tour, which went down at Fitzroy Beach in Taranaki, New Zealand, on Thursday, April 12.
Manuel got the better of Brazil’s Jacqueline Silva in the fifth heat to advance through into the third round while bringing the competition to a premature end for her rival in the process.
The sixth heat saw Peterson prevail over New Zealand’s Sarah Mason to advance through into Round 3, consequently eliminating the latter from the contention for the event title.
The clean off-shore winds and four-to-five foot waves on offer at the primary event site on day 1 of the latest ASP Women’s World Tour event served to create a promising stage for the prestigious surfers to put their stylish skills on display.
Manuel, 2012 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour rookie, had struggled to find her rhythm during her Round 1 heat, but made up for it with an impressive performance during her encounter with Silva in the fifth heat of Round 2.
As the battle got underway, Manuel opened her account with a 7.00-point wave and went on to back it up with a 6.75-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 13.75 points.
Silva came close to overtaking her rival on the score-board, scoring a couple of sixes off her best-two waves to finish with a heat-total of 12.80 points. The 0.95-point deficit forced her to concede victory to her Hawaiian rival, sending her through into
the next round.
The sixth heat saw the 17-year-old Peterson put on a superb performance to down the local talent Mason to successfully extend her life in the event.
The American surfer timed her carves and fins perfectly, scoring a 7.75 off her first business-wave and backing it up with a near-perfect 9.85-point wave to finish with a resultant heat-total of 17.60 points. The score held up until the end to seal the fate
of the sixth heat in her favour.
“That was just a really good wave and I think anybody would have gotten a 9.85 on that,” Peterson said. “It was a good right that lined up all the way to the beach and offered me plenty of opportunity. It was really fun. I had a blast out there, yesterday
was onshore and a bit tricky, but today the wind is offshore and it’s really peaky and fun. It reminded me of Lower Trestles in California a lot.”
Mason got off to a lacklustre start, earning a mere 3.75 off her first business-wave. Despite finding an impressive 8.10 off her second business-wave, she finished with a heat-total of 11.85 points, consequently surrendering victory to her rival.
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