The Drug Aware Margaret River Pro is the first Men's ASP Prime rated event for the 2013 season, offering maximum points towards qualification for the 2014 ASP World Championship Tour (WCT). Finalists were decided today in big waves whipped up by onshore winds at Surfers Point.
The Men's Quarterfinals, to be held early tomorrow morning, will feature a mix of the top seeds following a week of upsets at Margaret River.
Aussie favourite Julian Wilson will contest the first Quarterfinal after today beating the interference curse that has plagued most of the top seeds.
Wilson had a shocking blunder at the start of his blockbuster Round of 16 match up against teenage sensation Kolohe Andino. Clearly dropping in on the Californian Andino, Wilson was hit with an interference penalty, losing half the value of his second scoring wave.
But thanks to a high score of 8.17 for his first scoring wave, Wilson was able to hold off Andino and progress to the first Quarterfinal where he will meet Jonathan Gonzalez from the Canarian Archipelago.
"It was probably the worst start to the heat possible, I just thought it was my wave," a relieved Wilson said afterwards. "I wasn't too mad, I just tried to stay focused and knew I had to find at least two decent scoring waves. In the end I am just really happy to get through that one."
Wilson's side of the draw has opened up because of the early elimination of top seeds Joel Parkinson, Adriano De Souza and Jordy Smith. If he can get past Gonzalez tomorrow morning he will meet the winner of the second Quarterfinal between fellow Australian Jay Thompson and Dusty Payne of Hawaii.
On the other side of the draw, 2010 Margaret River champion Josh Kerr advanced to the third Quarterfinal. Kerr got the better of Brazilian Jadson Andre in their Round of 16 meeting this afternoon, but was fortunate to make it that far after recording a very close victory over another Brazilian in Caio Ibelli by only .03 of a point in the Round of 24 earlier in the day.
"I feel like I am not surfing that great just yet and I am just hoping that tomorrow we get some clean conditions so I am not riding a bucking bronco out there," joked Kerr after his heat. "I love making the final day at an event, it is a fresh start and I have not hit my stride yet so hopefully tomorrow can be that day where it all comes together."
The Australian aerialist will meet New Zealander Jay Quinn, who continued his amazing form at Surfers Point, recording the highest heat total of the day 18.20 punctuated by a best wave score of 9.37 points. Quinn dominated his Round of 16 heat to easily advance to the Quarterfinals over Brazilian Alejo Muniz.
The last Men's Quarterfinal will see Artiz Aranburu of Spain meet Australian Adrian Buchan, who won a close call in the final heat late on Saturday by 0.1 of a point against 2008 Margaret River champion Tom Whitaker. Buchan has been in a rich vein of form at Margaret River and will be one of the Men's favourites going into the finals today.
As the newly added stop number 2 out of 8 on the ASP Women's World Championship Tour, the Women's Finals at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro will have an important bearing on who the early favourites will be for the 2013 ASP Women's World Title.
The first Semifinal tomorrow will see a showdown between reigning World Champion Stephanie Gilmore and 2011 World Champion Carissa Moore, with the Hawaiian being the only surfer to take a world title off Gilmore over the past six years.
On the other side of the Women's draw, world number 2 Sally Fitzgibbons will face fellow New South Welshman Tyler Wright in the other Semifinal, a replay of the classic Final from the first World Championship stop earlier this month at Snapper Rocks on the Gold Coast. In that Final, 18-year-old Wright grabbed the win from Fitzgibbons with a last minute wave.
The Semifinal contenders at Margaret River are a repeat of the four who made the Semifinals on the Gold Coast, with Gilmore, Fitzgibbons, Wright and Moore ready to separate themselves from the Top 17 pack.
A win tomorrow at Margaret River would be a huge boost to the World Title hopes of either of the three Australians, but especially for Fitzgibbons who is looking to score her first world crown after three runner-up titles in a row.
Surfing action is expected to begin around 730am in the morning with the main finals for both the women and the men expected to run around midday.
Event info, photos, videos and more – www.margaretriverpro.com
DRUG AWARE MARGARET RIVER PRO RESULTS:
ROUND OF 24:
HEAT 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.74 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 11.54
HEAT 2: Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 13.66 def. Adriano De Souza (BRA) 9.23
HEAT 3: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 13.50 def. Andrew Doheny (USA) 3.60
HEAT 4: Brian Toth (PRI) 13.43 def. Nathan Hedge (AUS) 8.83
HEAT 5: Jay Quinn (NZL) 13.83 def. Marc Lacomare (FRA) 11.13
HEAT 6: Josh Kerr (AUS) 12.93 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 12.90
HEAT 7: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 15.16 def. Glenn Hall (IRE) 11.54
HEAT 8: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 15.73 def. Jean Da Silva (BRA) 11.50
ROUND OF 16:
HEAT 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 11.47 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.34
HEAT 2: Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 11.60 def. Granger Larsen (HAW) 7.16
HEAT 3: Jay Thompson (AUS) 12.67 def. Dion Atkinson (AUS) 9.00
HEAT 4: Dusty Payne (HAW) 16.34 def. Brian Toth (PRI) 7.24
HEAT 5: Jay Quinn (NZL) 18.20 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.74
HEAT 6: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.10 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.43
HEAT 7: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 12.33 def. Mitchel Coleborn (AUS) 12.00
HEAT 8: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.77 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 14.67
UPCOMING MEN’S QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY)
QF 2: Jay Thompson (AUS) vs. Dusty Payne (HAW)
QF 3: Jay Quinn (NZL) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
QF 4: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Source; ASP International Media
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