The men’s contest powers through Round Two with competitors throwing airs for survival.
The surf in Western Australia is full of power, much like the injury free Jordy Smith who is gaining strength with every heat. His Power the perfect match for Margaret’s. Jordy blew up in Round Three at the Drug Aware Margaret River Pro, laying down another giant score to earn the heat win over rookie Kanoa Igarashi. He will now face off against Gabriel Medina and Kolohe Andino in Round Four, looking for the win and a spot in the Quaterfinals.
Jordy Smith during Round Three against Kanoa Igarashi.
The opening rounds of competition saw some major upsets and stella performances. Leonardo Fioravanti, the Italian wildcard, was not only satisfied with knocking out 11 x World Champion Kelly Slater in Round Two, he went on to take out another world champion on Sunday, reigning ruler Adriano de Souza in Round Three.
See how some of the day’s biggest scores and heaviest upsets unfolded at the Drug Aware Pro.
The loss for Kelly sees him not making a heat during the opening leg of the 2016 WSL Championship Tour with three Round Two losses in a row.
Kolohe Andino punted one of the biggest airs of the event so far in Round Three.
Bianca Buitenday left it ’til the last minute in her Round Three heat, scoring a 9.40 on her final wave with 40 seconds to go. She then beat Bronte Macaulay in Round Four and will now meet Hawaii’s Carissa Moore in the Quaterfinals when competition resumes at the Margaret River Drug Aware Pro.
Bianca Buitendag winning in Round Four against Bronte Macaulay.
Bianca Buitendag beats Bronte Macaulay in Round Four of the Drug Aware Women’s Pro.
Upcoming Men’s Round Four heats
Heat 1. Matt Wilkinson, Joel Parkinson, Julian Wilson
Heat 2. Nat Young, Ace Buchan, Leonardo Fioravanti
Heat 3. Gabriel Medina, Kolohe Andino, Jordy Smith
Heat 4. Sebastian Zietz, Caio Ibelli, Italo Ferreira
Upcoming Women’s Quaterfinal heats
QF 1: Sally Fitzgibbons vs. Tatiana Weston-Webb
QF 2: Courtney Conlogue vs. Laura Enever
QF 3: Carissa Moore vs. Bianca Buitendag
QF 4: Tyler Wright vs. Stephanie Gilmore