Nathan Yeomans and Jeremy Flores prevail in Round 1 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing
The round of 96 (Round 1) of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing wrapped up with the 23rd and 24th heat on Wednesday, August 3, at the Huntington Beach Pier, California.
America’s Nathan Yeomans took top honours in the 23rd heat to secure a place in the round of 48 (Round 2). Brazil’s Miguel Pupo avoided elimination as well by clinching runner-up position. Australia’s Stu Kennedy and Brazil’s Willian Cardoso got
removed from the competition after rounding out the third and fourth positions respectively.
The 24th heat saw France’s Jeremy Flores clinch a convincing victory to make his way confidently to the next round. His compatriot Maxime Huscenot accompanied him to the round of 48 after finishing second. Australia’s Heath Joske and Brazil’s
Ricardo Santos finished in third and fourth place respectively, consequently getting ejected from the event.
During the 23rd heat, the 30-year-old Yeomans collected a series of low scores before eventually locking a wave to throw down a string of impressive tricks to earn 7.17 points. He later added an additional 6.10 points to his account to move to
a heat-total of 13.27 points that eventually saw him off to victory.
Brazilian force, Pupo, had already shown his true potential in the American waves earlier in the season, winning Nike Lowers Pro in Lowers Trestles, California. Even though he was unable to collect top honours during his four-man battle on Wednesday, he
still managed to make the Round 2 cut by clinching second position with a heat-total of 12.03 points, which included a 6.10 and 5.93-point wave.
Kennedy took third place after scoring 4.33 and 6.20 points off his top-two waves, while Cardoso’s two-wave total of 9.83 points placed him at the bottom position.
In the final heat of Round 1, the 23-year-old Flores got off to a slow start, but kept on building momentum as the heat progressed. In the closing minutes of the heat, he unleashed savage forehand and backhand surfing, collecting 7.93 and 8.17 points on
two consecutive waves. The resultant heat-total of 16.10 points carried him off to a comfortable win.
Talking to a reporter after the heat, Flores said, “It was really hard, the waves were small and with the high tide it’s breaking close to the beach. It’s hard to find the proper section to hit, but I found some okay waves and did the job so I’m happy to
get through. That 8 was the only right I caught, it had a pretty fun section. I’m not really and air guy, so I just tried to do my thing and throw some spray and I guess the judges liked it.”
Despite the demanding conditions and his compatriot’s onslaught in the final minutes of the heat, Huscenot still managed to make his way into the next round by clinching runner-up place. He scored 7.17 points off his first business-wave and later added another
5.47 points to his account, finishing with a heat-total of 12.64 points.
Joske took third place after scoring 4.67 and 7.00 points off his top-two waves, while Santos finished at the bottom after earning a two-wave total of mere 4.86 points, evidently succumbing to the tough conditions.
For updates on Round 2 of 2011 Nike US Open of Surfing, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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