Patrick Gudauskas and Jesse Mendes advance to Mr. Price Pro Ballito quarterfinals
After the no-elimination Round of 12 (Round 4) of Mr. Price Pro Ballito wrapped up, the event moved on to the elimination Round of 12 (Round 5) to complete the quarter-finals field on Friday, July 8th, at Surfers Beach in Ballito, South Africa.
America’s Patrick Gudauskas downed Australia’s Kieren Perrow in the first heat to clinch the coveted quarter-final spot, putting his rival out of contention for the event title.
The second heat saw Brazil’s Jesse Mendes advance to the quarter-finals after besting South Africa’s Shaun Joubert.
There was hardly any doubt about the excellent form that both Gudauskas and Perrow were currently in. A small hiccup in the previous round had caused them to miss out on the quarter-final place, but with another opportunity at hand, both were expected to give their 100 percent in order to get their hands on the coveted quarter-final spot.
The American got off to an outstanding start, locking a wave and throwing a string of spectacular manoeuvres to send both, the crowd and judges, in awe and getting 9.40 points for the effort. Australia’s Perrow managed to respond with a remarkable wave of his own, scoring 9.27 points off it, to relieve some pressure.
Later in the heat, Gudauskas added another 4.50 points to his account and moved to a heat-total of 13.90 points. His Australian rival, who only required 4.64 in order to clinch victory, only managed to secure 4.17 points off his second wave and finished in a 0.46-point deficit, consequently surrendering victory to his rival.
Talking to a reporter after the heat, Gudauskas said, “These waves are just unbelievable, it’s one of the most enjoyable events I’ve surfed in so I’m frothing. I knew this wave had some juice and I’m riding a step-up designed for a more hollow, powerful wave so I’m lucky I packed it.”
The second heat turned out to be intense as well, with Brazil’s Mendes and South Africa’s Joubert fighting hard for the quarter-final place. The local surfer drew first blood, catching a wave to score 4.33 points off it. However, Mendes responded with a near-perfect 9.43-point wave to put his rival under immense pressure.
The Brazilian added another 4.07 points to his account in the final minutes of the heat to move to a heat-total of 13.50. Joubert earned an impressive 7.93 off his second wave, but the late charge was unable to do him any good. He finished with a two-wave total of 12.26 points, losing the quarter-final place to Mendes by 1.24 points.
For more updates on Round 5 of Mr. Price Pro Ballito, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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