Owen Wright prevails over Tiago Pires in Round 3 of Quiksilver Pro France – 2011 ASP World Tour
The exciting surfing action continued to entertain the crowd at the latest stop of the 2011 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Quiksilver Pro France, as the 12th heat of Round 3 pitted Australia’s Owen Wright against Portugal’s
Tiago Pires on Sunday, October 9, at the renowned La Graviere in France.
The battle was not as intense as the fans expected, with Wright taking control of the heat from the very start and maintaining his dominance until the end to walk away with victory, consequently securing the Round 4 spot while removing his opponent, Pires,
from contention for the event title in the process.
The 21-year-old Wright has been in the form of his life over the last month. He consistently came up with exceptional performances during the last three stops of the ASP elite tour, making his way into the Finals on all three occasions to face the greatest
surfer in the history of the sport, America’s Kelly Slater, not once, not twice but thrice for the event title. While he failed to overcome the American in the waves of Tahiti and Lower Trestles, California, he managed to defy all odds and down Slater in Quiksilver
Pro New York last month.
Carrying his momentum to France to continue his campaign for the ASP World Title, Wright got off to a perfect start at Quiksilver Pro France and early jumped in Round 3, where he squared off with the ‘Portuguese Tiger’, Pires.
As the battle for the Round 4 spot began, Wright wasted no time in making it apparent that he meant business and locked a wave in the opening minutes of the heat to post a 7.00 on the scoreboard. He immediately followed it up with an even more outstanding
wave, unleashing a combination of spectacular manoeuvres to add an additional 8.17 points to his account and consequently moving to a heat-total of 15.17 points.
There was not much that Pires could do in front of the onslaught that his rival had unleashed. To further add to his miseries, the Portuguese was unable to adjust to the demanding surfing conditions and only managed to collect a 5.00 and 3.57 off his top-two
waves, finishing with a heat-total of 8.57 points. The disappointing performance led to his elimination from the competitions, while allowing Wright to comfortably advance through to the next round of the competition.
With the conclusion of the 12th heat of the third round, the final 16 surfers in contention for the event title were decided.
For updates on Round 4 of Quiksilver Pro France, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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