The top seeds dominated the opening round of the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel at Willard Beach in Ballito on Tuesday, racking up great scores in the punchy, early morning beach break conditions.
Adin Masencamp (ZAF) - WSL / Patterson
But the contenders fought back as the onshore wind and an incoming tide brought an element of luck to wave selection which resulted in several top seeds being eliminated early on from the JQS1,000 men's and women's events.
WSL Africa junior men's rankings leader Jake Elkington maintained his challenge for a fourth title this year by winning both his encounters, combining excellent manoeuvres with savvy wave choices to advance to the last eight and another keeper result in the chase for the coveted Billabong Junior Series U18 men's title.
Defending event champion Adin Masencamp is also through to the Semifinals after back-to-back heat wins. The current rankings No. 2 will come up against Brazilian whiz-kid Samuel Pupo who was the day's standout performer.
Samuel Pupo (BRA) - WSL / Patterson
Hailing from Maresias, a beach town between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro that is not unlike Ballito, Pupo displayed all his aerial skills in his opening clash, flying high above the lip to record scores of 8.33 and 9.33 for a heat total of 17,66 out of 20, the highest of the day.
Others to safely negotiate their way through two rounds included brothers Joshe Faulkner and Angelo Faulkner, Ethan Fletcher and East London's Bryce Du Preez and Luke Malherbe.
Luke Slijpen. - WSL / Patterson
Defending junior women's champ Zoe McDougall was on fire in her first heat, seamlessly linking powerful turns together as she charged to the highest scores of the JQS1,000 women's event. McDougall then had to dig deep to hang on to second place in Round Two, finishing behind local standout Sophie Bell who made full use of her knowledge to grab the heat win in the tricky afternoon conditions.
Emerging Durban talent S'Nenhlanhla Makubu grabbed the runner-up spot behind McDougall in Round One and then delivered a heat-winning performance in Round 2 to book a spot in the last eight.
In the bottom half of the draw Pacha Luque-Light continued her march toward another great result in South Africa before Zoë Steyn (East London) and Sarah Ingram upset current No. 2 Kayla Nogueira.
The 20th edition of the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard travel is the opening event in the Ballito Pro Surf Festival that runs until 9 July and includes the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, the QS1,000 Ballito Pro, pres. by Billabong and the QS10,000 Ballito ProBallito Pro pres. by Billabong.
The Billabong Junior Series is supported by All Aboard Travel, BOS, VonZipper and Zigzag.
Top Seeds Dominate Opening Round at Billabong Junior Series
WSL
The top seeds dominated the opening round of the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard Travel at Willard Beach in Ballito on Tuesday, racking up great scores in the punchy, early morning beach break conditions.
But the contenders fought back as the onshore wind and an incoming tide brought an element of luck to wave selection which resulted in several top seeds being eliminated early on from the JQS1,000 men's and women's events.
WSL Africa junior men's rankings leader Jake Elkington maintained his challenge for a fourth title this year by winning both his encounters, combining excellent manoeuvres with savvy wave choices to advance to the last eight and another keeper result in the chase for the coveted Billabong Junior Series U18 men's title.
Defending event champion Adin Masencamp is also through to the Semifinals after back-to-back heat wins. The current rankings No. 2 will come up against Brazilian whiz-kid Samuel Pupo who was the day's standout performer.
Hailing from Maresias, a beach town between São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro that is not unlike Ballito, Pupo displayed all his aerial skills in his opening clash, flying high above the lip to record scores of 8.33 and 9.33 for a heat total of 17,66 out of 20, the highest of the day.
Others to safely negotiate their way through two rounds included brothers Joshe Faulkner and Angelo Faulkner, Ethan Fletcher and East London's Bryce Du Preez and Luke Malherbe.
Defending junior women's champ Zoe McDougall was on fire in her first heat, seamlessly linking powerful turns together as she charged to the highest scores of the JQS1,000 women's event. McDougall then had to dig deep to hang on to second place in Round Two, finishing behind local standout Sophie Bell who made full use of her knowledge to grab the heat win in the tricky afternoon conditions.
Emerging Durban talent S'Nenhlanhla Makubu grabbed the runner-up spot behind McDougall in Round One and then delivered a heat-winning performance in Round 2 to book a spot in the last eight.
In the bottom half of the draw Pacha Luque-Light continued her march toward another great result in South Africa before Zoë Steyn (East London) and Sarah Ingram upset current No. 2 Kayla Nogueira.
The 20th edition of the Billabong Junior Series pres. by All Aboard travel is the opening event in the Ballito Pro Surf Festival that runs until 9 July and includes the SSA Ballito Trials pres. by Billabong, the QS1,000 Ballito Pro, pres. by Billabong and the QS10,000 Ballito ProBallito Pro pres. by Billabong.
The Billabong Junior Series is supported by All Aboard Travel, BOS, VonZipper and Zigzag.
Billabong Junior Series
Future stars shine bright in the event presented by All Aboard Travel.
Young guns are now heading into the event's final day in Ballito, South Africa.
Junior Men's and Women's Events First up at 13 Day Surf extravaganza
The first QS10,000 of the season, presented by Billabong, will feature a stacked field of the world's best.
First QS10,000 Men's event for 2017