Sally Fitzgibbons prevails over Sofia Mulanovich to advance to Roxy Pro France 2011 quarter-finals
The latest edition of Roxy Pro continued to deliver heavy dose of intense surfing action with the third heat of Round 3 which went down at the La Grande Plage in Biarritz, South Africa, on Thursday afternoon, July 14.
Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons started to build a winning momentum by prevailing over Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich and New Zealand’s Paige Hareb in the heat to advance directly to the quarter-finals. Mulanovich and Hareb rounded out the second and third positions,
consequently getting relegated to the fourth round, to compete in a sudden-death battle.
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World No. 2, Fitzgibbons has shown consistent form throughout the season. The South African stop of the ASP Women’s World Tour is turning out to be another good campaign for her so far.
Though she faltered in the first round, she bounced back strongly in the second round and despite challenging surfing conditions; she continued to look impressive in her Round 3 heat as well. Apparently, the change in event site had worked out for her.
Pitted against the Peruvian force Mulanovich and sole New Zealander in the ASP Women’s World Tour, Hareb, in the third heat of Round 3, Fitzgibbons got off to a good start. The 20-year-old New South Wales-resident scored 6.00 points off her first wave. ASP
World No.8, Mulanovich soon responded with a 5.60-point wave to ease off some pressure by narrowing the gap between her and Fitzgibbons on the scoreboard.
Hareb, ASP World No.12, made her presence felt in the heat as well by posting a 3.60 on the scoreboard, though it failed to make either of her two rivals feel threatened.
Fitzgibbons posted another 6.73 points to her account in the final minutes of the heat to move to a two-wave total of 12.73 points. Mulanovich needed an additional 7.13 points to edge past her Australian rival, but only managed to earn another 5.60 points
off her second wave and finished in second place with a heat-total of 11.20 points.
Hareb collected 4.10 points off her second wave in the late stages of the heat as well to move to a heat-total of 7.70 points. Though the third place finish came as a huge disappointment for her and her fans, she still has an opportunity to redeem herself
by making a stronger impact in Round 4.
Fitzgibbons was once again proving to be a strong contender for the event title, which in turn would bring her even closer to the ASP Women’s World Title.
While talking to a reporter later in the day, she said, “I am not thinking of the world title too much but it does make things special for sure. I was very relaxed competing today and just focused on my game plan, which remains the same for the rest of the
event. It's good to get moving forward after a few days waiting and I am happy to be in the Quarters.”
With the Australian getting to the quarter-finals, while the only other remaining contender for the ASP Women’s World Title relegated to the fourth round, the odds seem to be in favour of Fitzgibbons.
For more updates on Round 4 of Roxy Pro France 2011, stay tuned to bettor.com
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