Mick Fanning and Julian Wilson display solid form as Billabong Pro Tahiti resumes with Round 3

Australia’s Mick Fanning and his fellow countryperson Julian Wilson qualified for the fourth round at Billabong Pro Tahiti, the fifth of ten stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Championship Tour, after claiming top honours in their respective Round 3 heats that went down at Teahupo’o in Taiarapu, Tahiti, on Sunday, August 26.

Fanning got the better of Hawaii’s Fredrick Patacchia in the first heat to successfully advance into the next round while removing the latter from the contention for the event title.

The second heat saw Australia’s Adrian Buchan succumb to Wilson, consequently finding his competition come to a premature end while conceding victory to his rival.

With three-to-five foot waves on offer at the primary event site as the competition resumed with the Round 3 heats, the huge crowd in attendance along with the global audience catching every second of action live through webcast expected the day to be full of exciting battles and thrilling performances.

The proceedings got underway with Fanning, former two-time ASP World Champion and current ASP World Championship Tour No.1, taking on Patacchia in a man-on-man battle for the Round 4 spot. The seasoned elite tour campaigner had not gotten off to an ideal start, stumbling in Round 1, but had managed to bounce back strongly during his Round 2 heat to remain alive in the race for the event title.

As the battle got underway, Fanning continued to exhibit a form that he had displayed during his previous heat. Getting hold of a couple of potent waves, he registered a heat-total of 14.17 points.

Patacchia appeared to be struggling to find his rhythm and despite a determine effort, only managed to finish with a two-wave total of 8.34 points, bowing out to his rival as a result.

The second heat saw Wilson and Buchan square-off for a Round 4 spot. Both the surfers had looked good on the opening day of the competition and were expected to give each other a tough time during their encounter.

As the man-on-man bout got underway, Wilson exhibited a conservative approach, taking his time to wait for the right wave to arrive before letting loose. Scoring a 5.50 off his first business-wave and backing it up with an 8.33-point ride, the Australian surfer finished with a heat-total of 13.83 points.

Buchan failed to offer much of a challenge as he finished with a heat-total of 9.37 points, which comprised of a 3.60 and 5.77-point ride.

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Posted by Muhammad Qasim Hassan on Aug 27 2012. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.