Matt Wilkinson secures victory in Round 1 of Hurley Pro – 2011 ASP World Tour
Australia’s Matt Wilkinson got off to a perfect start at the latest stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Hurley Pro, winning the sixth heat of Round 1 that went down at the iconic point-break of Lower Trestles in California,
America, on Sunday, September 18.
The 22-year-old Australian earned the win by defeating his compatriot Adrian Buchan and Portugal’s Tiago Pires, consequently advancing to Round 3 directly. Buchan and Pires finished in second and third place respectively and were relegated to Round 2 as
a result.
Wilkinson, current No.17 on the ASP World Title Rankings, had seemed a bit uncomfortable while surfing the American waves during the previous stop and was forced to make an early exit from the competition as result. However, he looked to be in a much better
rhythm at Lower Trestles and did well to adjust to the high-performance two-to-three foot waves that were on offer.
As the sixth heat of Round 1 kicked off, he only took a few minutes before locking his first business-wave to throw down a combination of impressive tricks and collect 7.50 points for the effort. The early charge allowed him to put his rivals under pressure
and take control of the heat, After going through a series of waves, he eventually utilised a wave to add an additional 6.17 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 13.67 points. The score remained unbeatable till the end and allowed Wilkinson to
make his way confidently into the third round.
Buchan had no intention of letting his countryman walk away with the win without putting up a fight. His determined hunt for an adequate response to his rival’s score took him to a heat-total of 13.10 points, which comprised of a 6.00 and 7.10-point wave.
However, he failed to improve on his score and was eventually forced to concede victory to his rival.
Pires finished in third place after earning 5.33 points early in the heat and collecting 6.80 points off his second business-wave, finishing with a heat-total of 12.13 points.
The Round 1 heat may have proved to be unsuccessful for Buchan and Pires, but they may still remain in contention for the event-title if they are able to make it out of their Round 2 heat alive.
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