The final eight surfers have been decided after a crucial day of competition at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime rated Mr Price Pro Ballito on Friday July 4, 2014.
Toledo launching the second perfect 10 of Mr Price competition. - WSL / Kelly Cestari
Filipe Toledo (BRA), current no. 16 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), put on yet another show-stopping aerial performance, earning his second Perfect-10 point ride of the event, during the Round of 16.
After breaking his 'magic' board on the first wave of the heat, Toledo appeared to be on the back foot against former ASP World Junior Campion Caio Ibelli (BRA) but fought back hard, securing the lead off an excellent 9.00, followed by his perfect score, to advance into the Quarterfinals.
“I don't have words to describe what I am feeling,†Toledo said. “I broke that board but I think God helped me to get my backup board and it worked out much better.
“Caio (Ibelli) is a great competitor and it is sad to see him out of the event but I'm feeling confident and looking forward to the next round.â€
Jack Freestone continued his tear in South Africa with a close win over Virginia Beach's Michael Dunphy. - WSL / Kelly Cestari
With so much at stake, competition came down to the wire and many heats were decided on a surfer's final wave with scores separated by less than a point.
In a nail-biting decider, two-time ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS) got the better of his American opponent Michael Dunphy (USA), when the pair squared off in the Round of 16.
With the lead exchanging hands numerous times Dunphy was defeated in the final seconds when Freestone blasted his way back into first position with a 7.67, winning the heat by just 15.60 to Dunphy's 15.10 (both out of 20.00).
“I'm sick of being patient and waiting until right at the end, it's so scary I'm going to lose all my hair,†Freestone said. “That was such a close heat with such good waves, Dunphy had two solid scores and I knew all I needed was two solid turns and luckily it went my way.â€
Former WCT campaigner Tim Reyes has relied on his power-game to advance to the Quarterfinals. - WSL / Kelly Cestari
Timmy Reyes (USA) hit his stride, showing plenty of rhythm with clean, forehand turns that were in stark contrast to his Brazilian opponent Krystian Kymerson's aerial antics. Reyes netted a pair of 7.93 and 7.50 scores to defeat the Brazilian and advance into the Quarterfinals.
“This wave is tricky, you see guys catching not the best waves but going huge in the air and its more of gamble to wait for the better waves and do better turns,†Reyes said. “I don't do many events, so I've got to make them count and this one counts.â€
An equally tense match-up saw world no. 21 Adam Melling (AUS) take on world no. 28 Jeremy Flores (FRA), the power and variety in Melling's performance securing him the win with 8.50 and 7.33 scores.
Matt Wilkinson has broken his 2014 slump with a dominant run in South Africa. - WSL / Kelly Cestari
Australian Matt Wilkinson pulled out his best performance yet to best good friend and fellow WCT campaigner Adrian Buchan (AUS) in the day's battle of the goofy-footers.
Exuding flair and showmanship Matt Wilkinson was able to overcome Buchan with a pair of 7-point rides.
“It's kind of annoying coming up against a good friend so early in the competition,†Wilkinson said. “If that had been a final, it would have been amazing. Adrian is one of my favorite surfers to watch, so to beat him feels pretty good.â€
Another inspired performance came from Dillon Perillo (USA) currently no. 81 on the QS, who turned on the heat against aerial maestro Torrey Meister (HAW). Perrillo's critical surfing earned him a near perfect 9.00 and ultimately, his place in the quarterfinals.
Veteran Tiago Pires looks fully recovered from his knee injury with a strong performance at the Mr Price. - WSL / Kelly Cestari
Portuguese surfer Tiago Pires (PRT) surfed a smart heat to take the win over Davey Cathels (AUS). Pires opened with a 7.17 and chipped away to edge out Cathels who couldn't find his rhythm in the challenging lineup.
“It was a tough heat and the waves didn't co-operate,†Pires said. “I started well and Davey was chasing the whole time, there weren't too many opportunities out there so I was just lucky.â€
Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 16 Results:
Heat 1: Tiago Pires (PRT) 11.84 def Dave Cathels (AUS) 10.50
Heat 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 19.00 def Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.94
Heat 3: Dillon Perillo (USA) 14.17 def Torrey Meister (HAW) 12.67
Heat 4: Timmy Reyes (USA) 15.43 def Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 14.26
Heat 5: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.17 def Tom Whittaker (AUS) 8.17
Heat 6: Adam Melling (AUS) 15.83 def Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.03
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.86 def Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.17
Heat 8: Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.60 def Michael Dunphy (AUS) 15.10
Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 24 Results:
Heat 5: Tom Whittaker (AUS) 15.84 def Marlon Lipke (PRT) 14.53
Heat 6: Adam Melling (AUS) 13.10 def Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.90
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 18.10 def Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 14.33
Heat 8: Michael Dunphy (USA) DNS David Do Carmo (BRA)
Mr Price Pro Finds its Quarterfinalists
WSL
The final eight surfers have been decided after a crucial day of competition at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Prime rated Mr Price Pro Ballito on Friday July 4, 2014.
Filipe Toledo (BRA), current no. 16 on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), put on yet another show-stopping aerial performance, earning his second Perfect-10 point ride of the event, during the Round of 16.
After breaking his 'magic' board on the first wave of the heat, Toledo appeared to be on the back foot against former ASP World Junior Campion Caio Ibelli (BRA) but fought back hard, securing the lead off an excellent 9.00, followed by his perfect score, to advance into the Quarterfinals.
“I don't have words to describe what I am feeling,†Toledo said. “I broke that board but I think God helped me to get my backup board and it worked out much better.
“Caio (Ibelli) is a great competitor and it is sad to see him out of the event but I'm feeling confident and looking forward to the next round.â€
With so much at stake, competition came down to the wire and many heats were decided on a surfer's final wave with scores separated by less than a point.
In a nail-biting decider, two-time ASP World Junior Champion Jack Freestone (AUS) got the better of his American opponent Michael Dunphy (USA), when the pair squared off in the Round of 16.
With the lead exchanging hands numerous times Dunphy was defeated in the final seconds when Freestone blasted his way back into first position with a 7.67, winning the heat by just 15.60 to Dunphy's 15.10 (both out of 20.00).
“I'm sick of being patient and waiting until right at the end, it's so scary I'm going to lose all my hair,†Freestone said. “That was such a close heat with such good waves, Dunphy had two solid scores and I knew all I needed was two solid turns and luckily it went my way.â€
Timmy Reyes (USA) hit his stride, showing plenty of rhythm with clean, forehand turns that were in stark contrast to his Brazilian opponent Krystian Kymerson's aerial antics. Reyes netted a pair of 7.93 and 7.50 scores to defeat the Brazilian and advance into the Quarterfinals.
“This wave is tricky, you see guys catching not the best waves but going huge in the air and its more of gamble to wait for the better waves and do better turns,†Reyes said. “I don't do many events, so I've got to make them count and this one counts.â€
An equally tense match-up saw world no. 21 Adam Melling (AUS) take on world no. 28 Jeremy Flores (FRA), the power and variety in Melling's performance securing him the win with 8.50 and 7.33 scores.
Australian Matt Wilkinson pulled out his best performance yet to best good friend and fellow WCT campaigner Adrian Buchan (AUS) in the day's battle of the goofy-footers.
Exuding flair and showmanship Matt Wilkinson was able to overcome Buchan with a pair of 7-point rides.
“It's kind of annoying coming up against a good friend so early in the competition,†Wilkinson said. “If that had been a final, it would have been amazing. Adrian is one of my favorite surfers to watch, so to beat him feels pretty good.â€
Another inspired performance came from Dillon Perillo (USA) currently no. 81 on the QS, who turned on the heat against aerial maestro Torrey Meister (HAW). Perrillo's critical surfing earned him a near perfect 9.00 and ultimately, his place in the quarterfinals.
Portuguese surfer Tiago Pires (PRT) surfed a smart heat to take the win over Davey Cathels (AUS). Pires opened with a 7.17 and chipped away to edge out Cathels who couldn't find his rhythm in the challenging lineup.
“It was a tough heat and the waves didn't co-operate,†Pires said. “I started well and Davey was chasing the whole time, there weren't too many opportunities out there so I was just lucky.â€
Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 16 Results:
Heat 1: Tiago Pires (PRT) 11.84 def Dave Cathels (AUS) 10.50
Heat 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 19.00 def Caio Ibelli (BRA) 14.94
Heat 3: Dillon Perillo (USA) 14.17 def Torrey Meister (HAW) 12.67
Heat 4: Timmy Reyes (USA) 15.43 def Krystian Kymerson (BRA) 14.26
Heat 5: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.17 def Tom Whittaker (AUS) 8.17
Heat 6: Adam Melling (AUS) 15.83 def Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.03
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.86 def Adrian Buchan (AUS) 12.17
Heat 8: Jack Freestone (AUS) 15.60 def Michael Dunphy (AUS) 15.10
Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 24 Results:
Heat 5: Tom Whittaker (AUS) 15.84 def Marlon Lipke (PRT) 14.53
Heat 6: Adam Melling (AUS) 13.10 def Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.90
Heat 7: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 18.10 def Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY) 14.33
Heat 8: Michael Dunphy (USA) DNS David Do Carmo (BRA)
Jack Freestone
Featuring Gabriel Medina, Owen Wright, Matthew McGillivray, Jeremy Flores, Nathan Hedge, Jadson Andre, Kanoa Igarashi, Caio Ibelli, John
Before CT hopefuls can book their tickets for 2022 they need to shine at a notoriously tricky North Shore venue.
Season 3, Episode 1
Go behind the scenes with Jack Freestone as he starts his road to the Rip Curl WSL Finals.
WSL Leaderboard frontrunners Gabriel Medina and Carissa Moore set the pace at Strickland Bay, but there are more high-powered heats on tap.
With more east in the swell, Narrabeen came alive as World Title contenders made their presence felt with some nail-biting heat wins.
Mr Price Pro Ballito
ASP Oracle Al Hunt breaks down the QS rankings shifts following the Mr Price Pro and Los Cabos Open of Surf.
Competition in Ballito winds down with big airs, hallow barrels, and all-around power surfing.
The Prime-rated Mr Price Pro lived up to its reputation, showcasing stellar performances across the board.
The Californian takes down WCT surfer Matt Wilkinson at the conclusion of the prestigious South African QS event.
The ASP Prime-rated event has a lay day Saturday, with competition to resume Sunday, July 6.