Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gilmore bounce back in Round 2 of Vans US Open of Surfing – Surfing News
Australia’s Tyler Wright and Stephanie Gilmore successfully bounced back from a disappointing start at the Vans US Open of Surfing, the sixth of eighth stops on the 2013 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World
Championship Tour, by claiming top honours in their respective Round 2 heats that went down at the Huntington Beach Pier in California, America, on Wednesday, July 23, 2013.
Wright got the better of Hawaii’s Leila Hurst in the third heat of Round 2 to secure her place in the third round, while removing her rival from the contention for the event title in the process.
The fourth heat saw Gilmore finishing on top of Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich to advance to the next round, consequently bringing the event to a premature end for her rival.
The latest day of the women’s elite tour event promised a heavy dose of thrilling action as peaky two-to-four foot waves graced the primary event site.
Wright, current ASP Women’s No.1, had not gotten off to the best of starts at Vans US Open of Suring, which was why she found herself pitted against Hurst in a battle for survival.
The 19-year-old Australian got off to a slow start during the heat, but eventually managed to find a 5.83 and 6,83-point ride to finish with a heat-total of 12.66 points, which proved sufficient to keep her ahead of Hurst’s two-wave
total of 12.00 until the end.
“I was nervous going in to that heat,” Wright said. “I haven’t been nervous in a heat in a long time. I had a slow start and I know going up against a wildcard, they have nothing to lose. Leila (Hurst) has been ripping and I was
fortunate to find two little sneaky ones in the end.”
Gilmore, reigning five-time ASP Women’s World Champion, was also determined to make amends after a disappointing Round 1 result, but Mulanovich seemed to have something else planned for her.
The battle went down to the wire, with both the surfers fighting tooth-and-nail, desperate to see themselves through into the next round.
Once the dust settled, however, it was Gilmore was ahead on the scoreboard, courtesy of a 7.93 and 7.27-point ride for a two-wave total of 15.20 points, whereas her rival finished with a two-wave total of 14.17 points.
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