Sally Fitzgibbons defeats Sofia Mulanovich to earn Roxy Pro France 2011 semi-final spot
The third quarter-final of the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour event, Roxy Pro, went down at La Grande Plage in Biarritz, South Africa, on Friday afternoon, July 15th.
Australian Sally Fitzgibbons, currently ASP World No.2, asserted her excellent form in her quarter-final heat against Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich to clinch top honours and make it to the semi-final stage, while removing the Peruvian force from the competition.
There is absolutely no doubt that Fitzgibbons has been simply amazing throughout the 2011 ASP Women’s World Tour. She already had two victories and a few second and third-place finishes to her name before she stepped on the South African soil for the latest
ASP event. She alone was the one who was standing between Hawaii’s Carissa Moore and the Championship title.
Mulanovich, on the other hand, had come up with sensational performances on numerous occasions as well and had gotten her skills acknowledged. The clash between the two surfers was expected to be quite intense.
However, the third quarter-final turned out to be pretty one-sided, with the 20-year-old Australian in complete control throughout the heat. Confident and relaxed as ever, she hit the sea to fight for her place in the semi-final. After catching several waves
throughout the heat, her hunt finally allowed her to collect 6.50 points off a wave. Soon, she added another 7.87 points to her account to move to a two-wave total of 14.37 points.
On one of her better days, Mulanovich would have put up a strong fight. However, it seemed that that her luck bailed out on her yet again and she found herself finishing with a two-wave total of 9.67 points, which comprised of a 4.17 and 5.50-point wave.
The weak response by the 28-year-old Mulanovich allowed her Australian rival to clinch the win and advance to the semi-finals. While Fitzgibbons was an intimidating competitor and the odds were not exactly in Mulanovich’s favour, the Peruvian’s performance
came as a real disappointment to her fans who expected a much better fight from her.
Fitzgibbon’s entry into the semi-finals has come as a real threat to Moore’s chances of clinching a maiden ASP Women’s World Championship title. Though the Hawaiian surfer is currently sitting at top, a victory in the current and next stop of the tour can
bring the crown to Fitzgibbons.
For updates on Roxy Pro France 2011, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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