Crystal Cylinders
Local pro surfers got off to perfect starts with heat wins in round one of the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro events in France that boasted epic conditions at the world renowned La Graviere.
Stu Kennedy from Lennox Head beat former world champ Adriano de Souza and Conner Coffin.
‘I was feeling a bit tired this morning but I’m so happy to finally win a Round One heat,’ Kennedy said. ‘I haven’t won a three-man heat in a CT since Trestles last year, so it feels good to finally put it together’.
Byron Bay’s Matt Wilkinson was the first top seed to click into gear, taking his backhand vertical attack to the clean Graviere rights to post two good scores and advance straight into Round Three.
‘It was so fun out there. The tide came in quickly and I knew it was going to move in and become a bit chunkier,’ he said. ‘That first seven-point ride was exactly what I was looking for. It’s good to surf waves that have a bit of power; you just pick a line and push as hard as you can’.
But both our locals lost in round three to finish in equal thirteenth place.
Gabriel Medina won the men’s over Sebastian Zietz while Carissa Moore won the Roxy Pro over Lakey Peterson.
With two events remaining the men’s, the title race is still wide open while in the women’s with only one event remaining Tyler Wright has a 200-point lead over Sally Fitzgibbons on adjusted ratings.
It’s looking good for an Aussie women’s world title but there are still other surfers who are an outside chance in the title race.