Round 3 of Billabong Pro J-Bay underway in double overhead waves at Supertubes
WATCH IT LIVE
With the TTRide African Road trip 2 hours down the road in Plettenberg Bay, it's been all eyes on their next location for the past few days, and contest officials had no hesitation in getting Round 3 of the Billabong Pro J-Bay underway at 7.15 this morning as 1.5 to 2.5 metre waves, clear skies and calm winds combined to create the classic conditions that make Supertubes one of the planet’s premier high-performance point breaks.
With double-overhead glassy waves peeling down the point from Boneyards to Impossibles providing the ideal canvas for the world’s best surfers to display their talent, spectators and those watching the webcast and Fuel TV around the world are set for a day of drama and action as event No. 4 of 11 on the ASP World Title tour unfolds on the Southern tip of Africa.
Daniel Ross (AUS) was the first to take advantage of the situation, selecting a set wave and executing a series of swooping bottom turns and vicious hacks out of the lip while his opponent Jeremy Flores’ (FRA) was back on the beach retrieving his surfboard after breaking his legrope on a crushing wipeout. Ross earned 6.43 out of 10, the highest score of the heat, and added 5.17 on his next ride to run out an 11.60 vs. 10.17 victor over the fifth seeded Frenchman.
Veteran campaigner Damien Hobgood (USA), the 2009 runner-up, put his knowledge of the Supertubes line-up to good use to defeat Jadson Andre (BRA) and secure a berth in Round 4. Needing 4.75 points as the heat wound down, Hobgood caught his last ride with one minute remaining and posted 5.70 in the all goofy-foot (those who ride with right foot in front) encounter to oust the young Brazilian in equal 13th place and taking home US $8 500 along with 1 750 precious ratings points.
Anticipation is mounting for the local match-up between good friends Jordy Smith, the defending Billabong Pro J-Bay champion, and Travis Logie, a former five year stalwart on the ASP Dream Tour, which is Heat 6 of Round 3 and scheduled to take to the surf around 9.45am.
Just two days remain in the event waiting period and organisers have put both Rounds 4 and 5 on standby for later today.
All the action from the Billabong Pro J-Bay, including live webcasts, news, scores, images and video-on-demand footage of every heat is available via
www.billabongpro.com.
BILLABONG PRO J-BAY – ROUND 3 RESULTS:
H1: Daniel Ross (AUS) 11.60 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 10.17
H2: Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.63 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.67
H3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.76 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.34
BILLABONG PRO J-BAY – ROUND 3 MATCH UPS:
H4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA)
H5: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
H6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
H7: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
H8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
H9: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
H10: Adriano De Souza (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
H11: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)
H12: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)
ENDS
Pictured: Jordy Smith, pictured here during Round 1 action in Jeffreys Bay last Friday, will be going all-out to defend his Billabong Pro J-Bay title when he takes on compatriot Travis Logie in Round 3 this morning.
Photo: ASP / Cestari
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