Michel Bourez prevails over Taylor Knox in Round 4 of Quiksilver Pro France – 2011 ASP World Tour
The series of thrilling battles continued at the eighth of the eleven stops on the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Quiksilver Pro France, with the opening heat of Round 4 pitting Tahiti’s Michel Bourez against America’s Taylor Knox in a battle for the coveted Quarter-Final spot at La Graviere in France on Tuesday, October 11.
The head-to-head battle between the two extremely talented surfers turned out to be a real nail-biter, but a late charge by Bourez in the final minutes of the heat allowed him to seal the fate of the contest in his favour, consequently confirming his place in the fourth round while knocking Knox into the relegation Round 5.
Things had not been going great for the surfers at Quiksilver Pro France as far as the surfing conditions prevailing at the primary event site were concerned. The size of the waves were indeed very promising, but their shifting nature kept the surfers at bay, keeping them from unleashing the more advanced manoeuvres or going for big scores. However, it was nothing that a bit of luck and the skills and experience of the ASP Top-34 couldn’t handle.
Looking impressive in the competition so far, the 25 year-old Bourez had comfortably made it into the fourth round to continue his campaign for the event title. Things were definitely going to be a bit tough for him as he got pitted against the experienced Knox in a battle for the Quarter-Final spot. France’s Jeremy Flores was also scheduled to compete in the first heat of Round 4, but remained absent from the event site, consequently getting relegated to Round 5 and turning the battle into a man-on-man contest.
As the opening heat of the fourth round got under-way, Bourez drew first blood by locking a wave to score 8.00 points off it, looking to exert pressure on his opponent right from the start. However, Knox managed to rise to the occasion quite well and responded with a 7.00-point wave, staying pretty close to his rival on the score-board.
The American immediately added another 4.17 points to his account, moving to a heat-total of 11.17 points. The two-wave total kept him in the lead for most part of the 30-minute heat, while Bourez struggled to find an adequate response.
Just when it seemed that the match had slipped out of his fingers, the Tahiti-based surfer locked a wave and gave it his all to score a 6.57 off it, consequently moving to a heat-total of 14.57 points. The score carried him off to victory, earning him a place in the Quarter-Final as a result.
Commenting on the heat afterwards, Bourez said, “This is a huge relief for me. It's my best result of the year so far. I started the season with five ninths in a row so I'm very happy to finally crack the Quarterfinals. I'm feeling healthy and strong and hopefully we continue to get fun waves for the rest of the competition.”
It was indeed a crucial win for Bourez and would have definitely given him a lot of confidence and time to relax before his next battle, which was going to be for the Semi-Final slot.
For updates on Round 4 of Quiksilver Pro France, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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