Tomas Hermes and Matt Banting display superb forms in Round 4 of the Australian Open of Surfing
Brazil’s Tomas Hermes and Australia's Matt Banting emerged victorious in Round 4 (Round of 24) of the Australian Open of Surfing that went down at Manly Beach in New South Wales, Australia, on Friday, February 17.
With some of the top surfers from around the globe in contention for top honours at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star event, the crowd got to witness some really intense surfing battles.
Exhibiting a formidable form since the past few days, Hermes continued his excellent run at Manly Beach by claiming success in the fifth heat to guarantee his place in Round 5 (Round of 16). His winning heat-total of 14.57 points comprised of a 7.00 and 7.57-point wave.
“The waves are like where I'm from in Brazil," Hermes said. “It's feels great to win the heat because this contest is so hard and full of really good surfers. This event is huge, just like the US Open, it's great to be here in Manly.”
Ireland’s Glenn Hall had been nothing short of impressive in the initial rounds of Australian Open of Surfing. He managed to survive Friday’s proceedings as well after scoring a 6.00 and 6.77 off his top-two waves to secure runner-up place and accompany Hermes into the next round.
The competition came to a premature end for the local talent Nicholas Squires after he failed to find decent wave-scores and consequently finished with a heat-total of 10.27 points.
The sixth heat of Round 4 turned out to be an all-star battle between Banting, his compatriot Matt Wilkinson and the South African force Jordy Smith. All three surfers possessed phenomenal skills and thus were equally capable of removing the other from the competition.
Banting managed to save himself from elimination after collecting a couple of 6.17 off his top-two waves for a heat-total of 12.34 points. The score turned out to be a decisive one, earning him a victory over the two ASP World Tour surfers.
“I'm rapt! I'm really happy with my surfing right now," Banting said. “It's great to have a heat with those guys, let alone win, they've been my heroes since I was a little kid.”
Smith ensured his survival in the event after securing runner-up place with a heat-total of 11.66 points, which included a 6.93 and 4.73-point wave.
Wilkinson failed to meet the standard that had been set by his two rivals in the heat and thus ended up getting eliminated from the competition after finishing in third place with a heat-total of 9.44 points.
With the conclusion of the sixth heat, the Australian Open of Surfing moved on to the final two heats of Round 4.
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