(Saturday, May, 24, 2014) – Subsequent changes at Itauna Beach forced athletes to face challenging conditions at the 2014 ASP Quiksilver Saquarema Prime presented by Powerade. Rain, strong onshore winds and waves in the 4-6 foot range (1.5-2 metres) were on hand as the Quarterfinalists were decided for the final day of action for the first Prime event of the ASP South America Series.
Adriano de Souza (BRA), who sits atop the standings on the ASP World Qualifying Ranking (QS), led the charge for the Brazilians as he guaranteed a spot into the Quarterfinals.
“The conditions today are really difficult, so there aren’t many good scoring opportunities on offer,” stated Adriano de Souza. “I had a hard heat against Tomas Hermes (BRA) in Round of 16, and I was able to find some good enough ones to make it through. I’ve been facing Brazilians in every heat, and things won’t be any different against Jadson Andre (BRA) in the Quarters, but it’ll be an honor to surf against him.”
Billy Stairmand (NZL) caused the upset of the day by eliminating local favorite Raoni Monteiro (BRA) by a score of 12.43 to 11.74 respectively.
“I’m so happy to be amongst the best surfers here,” claimed Stairmand. “This place is wonderful and the waves are great. I beat Raoni Monteiro, who is a local legend here and has so much support from the crowd and that is unbelievable. Despite having to compete in difficult conditions, I’ve been having a lot of fun, I’ve been catching great waves and I love being here.”
Another upset of the day came when standout performer, Filipe Toledo (BRA) was brought down by an in-form Keanu Asing (HAW) by a score of 12.13 to 11.54 in their heat.
“It was such a difficult heat against Filipe because he is so hard to beat,” said Keanu Asing. “I arrived at the beach early today (Saturday) and watched the ocean and tried to imagine how I could defeat him. It was crazy and I tried to give it my best. I think I got lucky and found some good waves and it feels great to have made it this far.”
Standings have been altered once again after today’s results at the Quiksilver Saquarema Prime. Charles Martin (GLP) was catapulted up to second place on the QS ranking. Ricardo Chirstie (NZL) also moved up a few positions into 9th place after his victory over Nic Von Rupp (PRT). Only the top 10 surfers on the QS will qualify for the 2015 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour.
A call is made for 9am (local time) on Sunday for Heat 1 of the Quarterfinals. Keanu Asing (HAW) will face off against Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) at Itauna Beach for the final day of action at the ASP 2014 Quiksilver Saquarema Prime presented by Powerade.
The 2014 ASP Quiksilver Saquarema Prime presented by Powerade is brought to you by the Brazilian Association of Surfing Professionals (ABRASP) and sponsored by the State of Rio de Janeiro, the City of Saquarema, Powerade, Quiksilver, Peugeot and Barra GR Hygiene and Cleaning and is supported by CCR Via Lagos, the Rio de Janeiro Surf Federation (FESERJ) and the Saquarema Surf Association (ASS). The event is promoted by the ASP South America as the first 2014 ASP World Prime event and offers U$ 250,000 in prize money and 6,500 points towards the ASP Qualifying Series ranking. The Quiksilver Saquarema Prime is broadcast live via: www.aspworldtour.com
Text: Gabriel Gontijo – ASP South America
Joao Carvalho – ASP South America Media Officer
jcarvalho@aspworldtour.com
QUARTER FINALS QUIKSILVER SAQUAREMA PRIME:
QF 1: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) x Keanu Asing (HAW)
QF 2: Adriano de Souza (BRA) x Jadson Andre (BRA)
QF 3: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) x Ricardo Christie (NZL)
QF 4: Billy Stairmand (NZL) x Charles Martin (GLP)
ROUND OF 16:
Heat 1: Gony Zubizarreta (ESP) 12.86 def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 11.87
Heat 2: Keanu Asing (HAW) 12.13 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 11.54
Heat 3: Jadson Andre (BRA) 13.33 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 11.20
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 14.60 def. Tomas Hermes (BRA) 8.93
Heat 5: Ricardo Christie (NZL) 16.00 def. Nic Von Rupp (PRT) 8.10
Heat 6: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 12.77 def. Chris Ward (USA) 6.50
Heat 7: Billy Stairmand (NZL) 12.43 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 11.74
Heat 8: Charles Martin (GLP) 12.60 def. Perth Standlick (AUS) 6.36
