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Round Two of Niijima Quiksilver Pro Completed At ‘Secret Point’
Author: ASP World Tour
Good 3-4ft (1-1.3m) waves greeted competitors at the south end of Habushiura Beach, with sunshine finally appearing from out of the cloud cover of recent days.
Brazilian Victor Ribas posted the day’s highest combined score to eliminate an equally in-form Shane Powell (Avoca, Aus). Ribas earned an 8.67 on his opening ride for a series of powerful backhand re-entries and set the heat’s pace. ‘Powelly’ later secured a great set wave and executed his own stylish attack for an 8.07, but the diminutive Brazilian locked in another good ride toward the end and moved into round three.
“I felt good out there,” said Ribas afterward. “This wave looks like my home spot in Brazil, and I really like these conditions. I knew it was going to be hard heat against Shane as we’ve had some great matches over the years, but I was lucky my first wave was really good and I scored an 8.67. At the end I another 7.33, so I was very happy and confident.
“1999 was my best year on tour and I got a good result in Japan to finish 5th,” he added. “I hope this year I can comeback again and return to the top.”
Former world #3 Danny Wills (Byron Bay) eliminated fellow Australian Tom Whittaker (Bronte) with a commanding performance. The natural footer surfed a confident heat, picking off superior righthanders and lighting them up with an array of strong forehand maneuvers. Having won back-to-back WCT tournaments in Japan during his career topping 1998 season, Wills remains a favorite in the Niijima Quiksilver Pro.
“It’s great to be back,” began Wills. “Having won two events in Japan before there is some added pressure to do well, but I just tried to block it out and basically surf. I ended up catching a good wave, so it’s nice to be out of that round. I felt really good and just at ease with conditions, so I hope to keep going.”
Good friends and fellow Narrabeen (NSW, Aus) surfers Nathan Webster and Nathan Hedge did battle this afternoon. Webster, who has won two World Qualifying Series (WQS) events in Japan and also secured a semifinal finish in the 1998 WCT event at Chiba, stormed out of the gates with a fantastic righthander to equal the best single score today for an 8.67. He then kept the pressure on Hedge, who ultimately required another ride worth 7.55-points to progress.
“I was real nervous going into that heat, especially against ‘Hedgey’ cause he’s been in great form the beginning of this year,” explained Webster. “I needed to win a heat really bad, so to get that first score… I was stoked. He was definitely there to catch me, but I just tried to play it smart and use priority to my advantage.
“It’s unreal to be back in Japan,” he added. “I have a great sponsor who I hang out with and he makes me laugh, so I feel really comfortable here. Plus I’ve won WQS events in Japan a couple of times and finished third in a WCT before.”
Californian Pat O’Connell clinched a nail-biting victory over Brazilian Fabio Gouveia. Both secured strong scores with the lead alternating, but the final minutes proved most dramatic. O’Connell required an average score to win, and despite riding a long wave to the beach, narrowly missed out on the 5.0 score required. Within the last 30-seconds a set of good waves arrived however, and on the first ride he managed to regain the lead and advance. Gouveia also picked off another good ride, but his score wasn’t enough to swing the decision back.
“I felt confident before the heat and after my first wave I was really confident,” recalled O’Connell. “As time elapsed I kept letting him chip away at my lead though. It was so windy I couldn’t hear the scores, but with about 3-minutes left I heard I needed a 5.0 and was like, ‘oh, I better get to work.’ A wave came in and I rode it to the beach, but only got a 4.93. I was mad at myself, but thank God two more waves popped up and he let the first one go and it was really clean and I fit in three turns.
“After the heat people were saying I’d made it and others weren’t sure, so when they announced it I felt like I’d won the contest,” he laughed. “This is the best wave I’ve surfed in Japan, so I’m stoked.”
Michael Campbell (Port Macquarie, Aus) also won a great match over Brazilian Guilherme Herdy in the day’s final heat, with both locking in big scores. Campbell will next face Kalani Robb (Haw) in the third round.
Organizers will be evaluating conditions early tomorrow morning at 5am (local time) with a possible start to round three soon after again at ‘Secret Point.’ Due to the remote location, live webcasting and scores will not be available, but a detailed release will be posted following the completion of the day’s surfing action.
Official Round Two Results of the Niijima Quiksilver Pro (1st>Rnd3; 2nd=33rd, receives US$3,000)
H9: Daniel Wills (Aus) 14.84 def. Tom Whittaker (Aus) 9.6
H10: Beau Emerton (Aus) 13.3 def. Taylor Knox (USA) 10.83
H11: Pat O’Connell (USA) 12.03 def. Fabio Gouveia (Brz) 11.5
H12: Nathan Webster (Aus) 14.14 def. Nathan Hedge (Aus) 12.1
H13: Victor Ribas (Brz) 16.0 def. Shane Powell (Aus) 14.24
H14: Neco Padaratz (Aus) 13.83 def. Lee Winkler (Aus) 10.6
H15: Trent Munro (Aus) 13.67 def. Peterson Rosa (Brz) 10.57
H16: Michael Campbell (Aus) 15.83 def. Guilherme Herdy (Brz) 14.67
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