Raoni Monteiro wins the semifinal heat 1 of Saquarema Surf Pro International
Raoni Monteiro of Brazil won the semifinal heat 1 of the 2011 Saquarema Surf Pro International at Itauna, on Sunday, May 29.
Brazilian surfer, Monteiro beat Yadin Nicol of Australia with a total score of 14.70 as opposed to Nicol's 10.84 points (out of 20) and safely moved into the final of the grand event.
Monteiro was delighted with his performance in the semifinal, as the surfer came out on top under testing conditions at Itauna. Where Nicol couldn't adjust to the challenging nature of the waves, Monteiro seemed more at home in front of his home crowd.
The Brazilian admitted that he had to be aggressive and challenging towards his competitor in order to win the heat in the semifinal. He further claimed that although conditions were not ideal for surfing, he adjusted well to the tides.
The first wave of the sea did play a significant role in him winning the semifinal heat against the Australian Nicol and the surfer seemed slightly shocked at his own performance as he braved mother-nature's test.
Earlier, Raoni Monteiro beat the Australian surfer Lincoln Taylor in the quarterfinal heat 2. The Brazilian earned a score of 14.04 off his two waves meanwhile, Taylor fell short with his 12.10 points.
After his performance in the quarterfinal heat 2, Taylor moved to the 71th spot in the ASP World Rankings.
Meanwhile, Nicol wasn’t completely unhappy with his individual performance in the semifinal. The surfer was of the opinion that he gave it his best shot during the heat and although he fell short of his goal, his overall performance wasn't forgettable.
Monteiro will compete against the winner of semifinal heat 2, contested between Kai Otton of Australia and Willian Cardoso of Brazil.
Both, Otton and Cardoso have been one of the most consistent performers in the Saquarema Surf Pro International 2011 and the Brazilian will need to up his game to pose a strong threat to either one of them.
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