Taj Burrow and Stephanie Gilmore recovered their positions in the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach yesterday, when both champs were forced into round-two contests.
To keep his hopes of a crown alive, Burrow had to win yesterday’s contest against rising Aussie surf star Davey Cathels. Burrow went on the attack straight away in the heat, posting a first wave score of 8.60, quickly followed by a 7.83. He ended the heat with a 8.93 wave for his emphatic 17.53 to 11.17 win.
Stephanie Gilmore also kept her hopes alive with a win over teenage wildcard Nikki Van Dijk from Phillip Island, Vic, in a late-afternoon round-two heat. The four-time world champion took control with an eight-point ride and then backed up with a 5.33 score for the win. Gilmore finished with a heat total of 13.33 to Van Dijk’s total tally of 11.23
Also successful in round two were Kai Otton (who defeated Julian Wilkinson), Josh Kerr (who narrowly eliminated USA’s Pat Gudauskas) and Yadin Nicol (who took out Brazil’s Alejo Muniz).
Byron Bay’s Kieren Perrow on 11.67 was taken out by American Brett Simpson on 13.77.
Despite a low-scoring first round, Matt Wilkinson narrowly defeated Brazilian Miguel Pupo on Tuesday and moved directly to round three.
