Raoni Monteiro and Gabe Kling advance to next round: Fourth round of Super Surf International – Part 1
The fourth round of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime event, Super Surf International, went down at Praia beach in Santa Catarina, Brazil, on Sunday, June 5th.
The latest round, referred to as the round of 12, was to feature 12 surfers in four triple-threat heats, with the winner getting a place in the quarter-finals. There was some relaxation for the surfers though, as the round did not involve elimination.
The surfing conditions at the event site turned out to be much better than the previous days, with five-to-seven foot tides and, fortunately, light offshore winds. Everything was set for a thrilling round of 12.
The round kicked off with Australia’s Tom Whitaker taking on Brazil’s Raoni Monteiro and Hawaii’s Mason Ho in the first heat. All three surfers had displayed excellent form in the event so far and an intense action was expected during the showdown.
However, Whitaker managed to get a convincing victory over his rivals in the end. Scoring 7.83 points off his first wave and immediately following it up with a 7.37-point wave, he finished with a heat-total of 15.20 points. None of his competitors were able
to match his performance, allowing him to clinch the win and qualify for the quarter-finals.
The local surfer, Monteiro, tried to put up a fight, but the effort was not good enough. Early in the heat, he locked a wave to earn 6.00 points. His second wave scored 6.33 to give him a two-wave total of 12.33 points. The score placed him in second position.
Ho was not that impressive during the heat, struggling to catch waves and failing to make the ones that he caught really count. Scoring 4.00 and 6.67 off his two waves, he finished in third place. He, along with Monteiro, will have to compete in the fifth
round to stay alive in the competition and qualify for the quarter-finals.
The second heat pitted America’s Gabe Kling against the two Brazilians, Ricardo Santos and Hizunome Bettero.
Kling went on a rampage early in the heat, catching a couple of waves to post a score of 8.50 and 8.40 off his two waves. The total score of 16.90 remained unbeatable and allowed him to walk away a winner, along with confirming his place in the quarter-finals.
Santos put up a commendable fight, scoring 7.93 off his very first wave and adding a 6.37 to his score in the final moments of the heat. However, he missed out on victory by 2.60 points. Bettero was unable to impress the judges with his surfing and only
managed to earn 5.93 and 4.50 off his two waves.
Santos, along with his compatriot will have to earn their place in the quarter-finals by passing through the fifth round.
For more updates on the fourth round of Super Surf International, stay tuned to Bettor.com.
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