Gabriel Medina (BRA), 18, will face compatriot Alejo Muniz (BRA), 22, in Round 3 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti when competition resumes.
TEAHUPO’O, Taiarapu/Tahiti (Sunday, August 19, 2012) – The Billabong Pro Tahiti, Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2012 ASP World Championship Tour, has called competition off for the day, citing small waves and inconsistent sets at Teahupo’o as the primary reason.
“The swell has yet to fill in today and we’ve called another lay day for the Billabong Pro” Rich Porta, ASP International Head Judge, said. “We’re expecting a slight increase in size late today that could see us resume as early as tomorrow. We’ll be back tomorrow morning to assess conditions.”
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7am start.
Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti are calling for tomorrow to see pulsey/inconsistent SSW swell backs down through the day and will be largest in the morning. Look for 4-5’+ faces and still occasional larger sets early up to 6’ on the face.
When competition resumes, up first will be two-time ASP World Champion and current ASP WCT No. 1 Mick Fanning (AUS), 31, up against Fredrick Patacchia (HAW), 30, in the opening heat of Round 3.
The Billabong Pro, Tahiti is made possible with the valued support of international partners Air Tahiti Nui, Sony, Xperia Sony Smartphone and Red Bull, along with our friends at Nixon, VonZipper, Mana and Hyundai.
BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS) Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Kai Ottonn (AUS) Heat 4: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA) Heat 5: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF) Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Ricardo dos Santos (BRA) Heat 7: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Taylor Knox (USA) Heat 8: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Heitor Alves (BRA) Heat 9: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Damien Hobgood (USA) Heat 10: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Brett Simpson (USA) Heat 11: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA) Heat 12: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
