Tiago Pires and John John Florence emerge triumphant in Round 1 of Mr. Price Pro Ballito
The 21st and 22nd heat of Mr. Price Pro Ballito’s round of 96 (Round 1) went down at the Surfers Beach in Ballito, South Africa, on Tuesday, July 5th.
Portugal’s Tiago Pires achieved success in heat 21 to advance to the next round, while Northern Spain’s Aritz Aranburu finished in second place to remain alive in the event. South Africa’s Klee Strachan and Puerto Rico’s Dylan Graves finished in third and
fourth positions respective, consequently getting eliminated from the event.
Hawaii’s John John Florence emerged triumphant from the 22nd heat and went through to the next round. He was joined by Brazil’s Messias Felix, who rounded out the runner-up place. The other two Brazilians in the four-way battle, Alejo Muniz and
Pedro Henrique were eliminated after finishing in third and fourth place.
Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World No. 19, Pires, turned out to be a force to be reckoned with during the heat, coming up with impressive performances to dominate the battle. He scored 7.67 off a wave early in the heat and soon added a 7.27
to his account to finish with a two-wave total of 14.94 points. The heat-total went on to earn the Portugal surfer a convincing victory.
In the post-heat interview, Pires said, “I’ve been really stressed at contests lately so I tried to stay calm and find my rhythm out there. This is a really powerful wave, and there is a lot of talent at this event so it’s going to be a very exciting next
few days.”
Aranburu followed the Portuguese to the next round after besting the local star, Strachan, to grab second position. He scored 10.07 points against the South African’s 10.00 to barely stay alive in the competition, while pushing his rival towards elimination.
Graves was eliminated as well after a disappointment performance, earning only 4.13 points in total from his two best waves.
Florence prevailed over his competition with ease in the next heat to advance to the round of 48 (Round 2). While his rivals were struggling to read the surfing conditions, the Hawaiian looked quite comfortable and collected a 6.00 and 8.77 off his two best
waves to finish with a heat-total of 14.77 points.
Felix extended his life in the event after winning the intense battle against Muniz, winner of the first ASP Prime event of the year, Hang Loose Pro. The two countrymen fought hard, but in the end, Felix took the second position by finishing with a heat-total
of 10.13 against his rival’s 9.84.
Henrique looked out of sorts during the heat as well. Collecting 3.73 and 3.17 off his two best waves, he finished in fourth place, consequently getting removed from event title contention.
For further updates on round of 96 (Round 1) of Mr. Price Pro Ballito, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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