Heitor Alves (BRA), 31, earned the high scores of Los Cabos Open of Surf competition for the second consecutive day.
ZIPPERS, Los Cabos/Mexico (Thursday, June 20, 2013) – Day three of the ASP 6-Star Los Cabos Open of Surf returned to action for the third consecutive day in clean two-to-four foot waves at Zippers, narrowing the original field of 154 surfers down to just 24.
Heitor Alves (BRA), 31, continued to assert his dominance over the Zippers lineup, posting the event’s highest scores for the second consecutive day. Alves unloaded a series of ferocious backhand blasts on two set-waves, earning near perfect scores of 9.43 and 9.10. The Brazilian’s efforts would see him take the event’s highest single wave score and high heat total.
“I knew there were long lulls between sets, but that there were good waves out there, and I got that first nine to start,” Alves said. “Then after that I had the highest heat-score with the other nine, so I’m happy. Hopefully I can keep building on my performance. So far I’ve had heats in good conditions and have been able to get a few fun waves.”
Ezekiel Lau (Oahu, HI), 19, contributed to the day of high-scores, dismantling a righthand wall with a series of committed forehand turns, notching a near-perfect 9.23 of his own and a commanding Round 3 win.
“Going in to that heat I really wanted to just get a good start and get in to that first good set,” Lau said. “The ones that come from behind and are a little deeper and more open, so when I heard that nine come out I was pretty relieved. I thought I was too deep at first on my high score and I had to race it across. Once I got to the open face I just let it loose and carved it out and finished strong.”
Lau, who advanced in to Round 3 via a last-second effort yesterday, was relieved to get a strong start in today’s heat and hopes to build momentum as he moves in to the latter rounds.
“I was just happy that I got to bounce back from that tough one yesterday,” Lau said. “Heats like that can really get you down, so it’s good to have heats like this that get your spirits back up.”
Dillon Perillo (Malibu, CA), 23, performed polished rail-work on the Mexican righthand walls, linking smooth forehand carves to command his Round of 48 heat from start to finish. The stylish natural-footer built momentum after his quick start, immediately notching two solid scores to solidify his position in to the Round of 24.
“I normally get really hassled, so I was just trying to paddle around everyone and do what they do to me,” Perillo said. “You’ve got to be aggressive and you’ve got to go for it. Moving in to the Round of 24 is my best result this year and I’m happy to make it through that heat and get some fun waves.”
Stu Kennedy (AUS), 23, earned an impressive come-from-behind win in his Round of 48 bout that saw a flurry of exchanges in the dying minutes. Kennedy remained patient throughout the heat, and admitted that his poise contributed to the win.
“I was just trying to stay as composed as possible,” Kennedy said. “I didn’t want to rush and get average waves and I knew if I could just get a decent wave and stay as calm as possible I could unload as much aggression as I could and I’m definitely stoked with the outcome. It would have been nice to have a quicker start, but I’m happy to get the win.”
The Los Cabos Open of Surf holds a waiting period from June 17-23, 2013 and is webcast LIVE via www.loscabosopenofsurf.com
