BELLS BEACH, Victoria/Australia (Thursday, April 21, 2011) – The Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach recommenced this morning with Round 2 going down in beautiful offshore conditions and three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) surf at nearby Winkipop.
Owen Wright (AUS), 21, 2010 ASP Rookie of the Year, rebounded from a disappointing Round 1 heat yesterday by schooling Brazilian prodigy and Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach wildcard Gabriel Medina (BRA), 17 in their Round 2 clash.
"I knew that he (Gabriel Medina) was dangerous out there," Wright said. "I got a couple of good scores and kept building on them throughout the heat. I had a few nerves in my first round heat and didn't find any form at all, so it felt great to have a good heat. I'm not a rookie anymore, I'm one of the guys in the top few that wants to get higher. It's a challenge, but I'm ready to step up."
Wright will face Gabe Kling (USA), 30, in Round 3 of competition.
Jordy Smith (ZAF), 23, 2010 ASP World Title runner-up and Adam Robertson (AUS), 28, local trials winner, opened the day with an epic battle. The pair went wave for wave and mixed carving turns and tube rides with Smith narrowly edging out the local Trials Winner.
"It was a very tough heat," Smith said. "He (Adam Robertson) started off really well and I don't know what was going on with me. I was in a really bad rhythm and I was worried that the surf was pumping and I wasn't able to get a score higher than 4, so I slowed down and got a good score. I knew it was going to be a tough heat and to win I just had to be on the best waves."
Smith will take on Bobby Martinez (USA), 28, in Round 3 of competition.
Martinez caused the upset of the day, eliminating 2007 Rip Curl Pro Bells Champion and current No. 2 in the hunt for the 2011 ASP World Title, Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, in close heat that came down to the wire.
"My approach to that heat was to just surf," Martinez said. "I'm not Occy (Mark Occhilupo) he's not (Tom) Curren. That was just a heat that I'm very grateful I got through. I'm here to win, so I'm not going down without a fight."
Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, had a dream heat today taking down fellow Australian Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28. Kerr didn't put a foot wrong, picking all the best waves, timing them to perfection and tearing them apart.
"That was so fun!" Kerr said. "I was losing my marbles paddling out, I was so excited. I think I claimed a couple of waves out there, I don't normally do that, sorry. Ace (Adrian Buchan) got me on the Gold Coast, so it was good to get him back in a high scoring heat."
Kerr draws Mick Fanning (AUS), 29, former two-time ASP World Champion, in Round 3 of competition.
Highlights from the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach presented by FORD will be available via www.live.ripcurl.com and broadcast live on Fuel TV in Australia and ESPN in Brazil.
When men’s competition resumes, up first will be Owen Wright (AUS), 21, up against Gabe Kling (USA), 30, in the opening heat of Round 3.
When women’s competition resumes, up first will be Silvana Lima (BRA), 26, Chelsea Hedges (AUS), 27, and Melanie Bartels (HAW), 28, in the opening heat of Round 3.
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 7:30am start.
RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 17.43 def. Adam Robertson (AUS) 16.26
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.70 def. Gabriel Medina (BRA) 7.90
Heat 3: Bobby Martinez (USA) 16.16 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.93
Heat 4: Josh Kerr (AUS) 17.24 def. Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.04
Heat 5: Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.17 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.44
Heat 6: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.10 def. Cory Lopez (USA) 11.84
Heat 7: Gabe Kling (USA) 11.67 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 5.00
Heat 8: Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.84 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 12.84
Heat 9: Chris Davidson (AUS) 16.10 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 13.83
Heat 10: C.J. Hobgood (USA) 8.17 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 8.10
Heat 11: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.10 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.97
Heat 12: Taylor Knox (USA) 11.77 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 8.06
RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Gabe Kling (USA)
Heat 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Heat 4: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
Heat 5: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Stu Kennedy (AUS)
Heat 7: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Bobby Martinez (USA)
Heat 8: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
Heat 9: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 11: Jadson Andre (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 12: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 11.83 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 11.50
Heat 2: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 16.33 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 12.53
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW) 18.23 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 10.90
Heat 4: Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 13.03 def. Bethany Hamilton (HAW) 4.83
Heat 5: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.00 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 7.16
Heat 6: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 12.84 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 10.30
RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA), Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW)
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW), Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Tyler Wright (AUS), Pauline Ado (FRA)
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Coco Ho (HAW), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS)
