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Gold Coast - The four South African surfers on the 2009 men and women’s ASP World Tours face tough opening encounters when the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast and Roxy Pro Gold Coast events, both presented by LG Mobile, get underway at Snapper Rocks in Queensland, Australia, on Saturday.
Durban’s Jordy Smith, the No. 24 seed in the 48 man field for the Quiksilver Pro, has drawn hometown favourite, 2007 ASP World Champion and former event winner Mick Fanning (AUS) plus Tiago Pires (POR) in Heat 3 of Round 1. The winner of Round 1 heats progresses directly to Round 3 while those placing second and third are reseeded in sudden death match-ups in Round 2.
Smith, 21, whose stellar achievements as a junior and in qualifying for the ASP World Tour at the end of 2007 see him touted as a future world champion, has been training and refining his equipment on the Gold Coast for the past three weeks. He reached the last 16 in this event last year as a rookie on the World Tour and is determined to improve on that this year as he pushes for a top 10 yearend ranking.
Veteran campaigner Greg Emslie (East London) opens his ninth season at the top level by taking on the super consistent Luke Stedman (AUS), the No. 11 seed, and compatriot Dean Morrison who, along with fellow Gold Coast locals Fanning and ASP World No. 4 Joel Parkinson, is renowned for his performances in his home break.
Emslie will be going all out to capitalise on his experience and ability in right-hand point waves such as Snapper Rocks to post a confidence-boosting result that will improve his current seeding of No. 38 for the next event.
David Weare faces No. 15 seed Tim Reyes (USA) and highly touted rookie Michel Bourez from Tahiti, both tube-riding experts in hollow waves, in Heat 15 of the opening round. The super-fit Durbanite has the talent and flair to beat anyone on his day and will feel confident that he can advance directly to Round 3.
Rosanne Hodge, SA’s sole representative amongst the ASP’s Top 17 ranked female surfers for the third successive year, has possibly the toughest opening draw of all. The 21 year-old East Londoner is matched with reigning and two-time ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, who will competing in her home break, and the winner of the wildcard trials event to be run on Friday.
The top two advance to Round 3 in the women’s format and Rosy’s objectives for 2008 will be to win her first ASP Women’s World Tour and reach the last eight in events more regularly to establish herself in the Top 10 on the yearend rankings over the eight event season.
The Quiksilver Pro and the Roxy Pro, which run in conjunction from February 28 – 11 March, are mobile events with Snapper Rocks serving as the primary venue, but can be run at nearby Duranbah Beach, Greenmount, Kirra, Burleigh Heads and as far north as Stradbroke Island should conditions call for it.
All the action can be followed live on the internet via www.quiksilverpro.com.au and www.aspworldtour.com. The Gold Coast is nine hours ahead of SA time so coverage will start at approximately 12 midnight SA time on each day of competition.
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Roy Powers (HAW), Tim Boal (FRA)
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Dustin Barca (HAW)
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Heitor Alves (BRA), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Damien Hobgood (AUS), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Taylor Knox (USA), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), TBA
Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS), TBA
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), TBA
Heat 11: Luke Stedman (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Mick Campbell (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 13: Chris Ward (USA), Nathaniel Curran (USA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 14: Kai Otton (AUS), Chris Davidson (AUS), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 15: Tim Reyes (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF), David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 16: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Gabe Kling (USA), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Samantha Cornish (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 2: Amee Donohoe (AUS), Jacqueline Silva (BRA), Alana Blanchard (HAW)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), TBA
Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Megan Abubo (HAW)
Heat 5: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Bruna Schmitz (BRA)
Durban’s Jordy Smith, the No. 24 seed in the 48 man field for the Quiksilver Pro, has drawn hometown favourite, 2007 ASP World Champion and former event winner Mick Fanning (AUS) plus Tiago Pires (POR) in Heat 3 of Round 1. The winner of Round 1 heats progresses directly to Round 3 while those placing second and third are reseeded in sudden death match-ups in Round 2.
Smith, 21, whose stellar achievements as a junior and in qualifying for the ASP World Tour at the end of 2007 see him touted as a future world champion, has been training and refining his equipment on the Gold Coast for the past three weeks. He reached the last 16 in this event last year as a rookie on the World Tour and is determined to improve on that this year as he pushes for a top 10 yearend ranking.
Veteran campaigner Greg Emslie (East London) opens his ninth season at the top level by taking on the super consistent Luke Stedman (AUS), the No. 11 seed, and compatriot Dean Morrison who, along with fellow Gold Coast locals Fanning and ASP World No. 4 Joel Parkinson, is renowned for his performances in his home break.
Emslie will be going all out to capitalise on his experience and ability in right-hand point waves such as Snapper Rocks to post a confidence-boosting result that will improve his current seeding of No. 38 for the next event.
David Weare faces No. 15 seed Tim Reyes (USA) and highly touted rookie Michel Bourez from Tahiti, both tube-riding experts in hollow waves, in Heat 15 of the opening round. The super-fit Durbanite has the talent and flair to beat anyone on his day and will feel confident that he can advance directly to Round 3.
Rosanne Hodge, SA’s sole representative amongst the ASP’s Top 17 ranked female surfers for the third successive year, has possibly the toughest opening draw of all. The 21 year-old East Londoner is matched with reigning and two-time ASP World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, who will competing in her home break, and the winner of the wildcard trials event to be run on Friday.
The top two advance to Round 3 in the women’s format and Rosy’s objectives for 2008 will be to win her first ASP Women’s World Tour and reach the last eight in events more regularly to establish herself in the Top 10 on the yearend rankings over the eight event season.
The Quiksilver Pro and the Roxy Pro, which run in conjunction from February 28 – 11 March, are mobile events with Snapper Rocks serving as the primary venue, but can be run at nearby Duranbah Beach, Greenmount, Kirra, Burleigh Heads and as far north as Stradbroke Island should conditions call for it.
All the action can be followed live on the internet via www.quiksilverpro.com.au and www.aspworldtour.com. The Gold Coast is nine hours ahead of SA time so coverage will start at approximately 12 midnight SA time on each day of competition.
QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Roy Powers (HAW), Tim Boal (FRA)
Heat 2: Bobby Martinez (USA), Ben Dunn (AUS), Dustin Barca (HAW)
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS), Jordy Smith (ZAF), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Heitor Alves (BRA), Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 5: Adrian Buchan (AUS), Damien Hobgood (AUS), Drew Courtney (AUS)
Heat 6: C.J. Hobgood (USA), Taylor Knox (USA), Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Dane Reynolds (USA), Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 8: Kelly Slater (USA), Kieren Perrow (AUS), TBA
Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS), Dayyan Neve (AUS), TBA
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS), Mikael Picon (FRA), TBA
Heat 11: Luke Stedman (AUS), Dean Morrison (AUS), Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), Mick Campbell (AUS), Kekoa Bacalso (HAW)
Heat 13: Chris Ward (USA), Nathaniel Curran (USA), Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 14: Kai Otton (AUS), Chris Davidson (AUS), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 15: Tim Reyes (USA), Michel Bourez (PYF), David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 16: Tom Whitaker (AUS), Gabe Kling (USA), Jihad Khodr (BRA)
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Samantha Cornish (AUS), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 2: Amee Donohoe (AUS), Jacqueline Silva (BRA), Alana Blanchard (HAW)
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF), TBA
Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Megan Abubo (HAW)
Heat 5: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Chelsea Hedges (AUS), Coco Ho (HAW)
Heat 6: Melanie Bartels (HAW), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Bruna Schmitz (BRA)
