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> News > BALLITO READIES FOR WORLD-CLASS SURFING ACTION

surfing News

BALLITO READIES FOR WORLD-CLASS SURFING ACTION

Image credit: Kelly Cestari / ASP

28 June 2014

Ballito, KwaZulu-Natal –The world’s top ASP Qualifying Series (QS) professionals have descended on the wave rich coast of KwaDukuza, for the start of the ASP Prime rated Mr Price Pro Ballito, which kicks off on Monday July 30, 2014. The second Prime rated event of the 2014 season has attracted 17, of the top 34 rated surfers on the elite ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), who will go on to compete in the prestigious ASP World Championship (WCT) J-Bay Open, from July 10 – 21, 2014.

Located just 30-minutes North of Durban, Willards or Surfers Beach, as the locals know it, is a fast, hollow right-hander that breaks just off the rock, North of Ballito’s Main Beach. Working best on a Southwest swell and a low tide, it is know to produce world-class barrels.

The exclusive 96-man field is made up of 88 surfers who qualified through their world rankings, plus six wildcards in David Van Zyl (CT), Slade Prestwich (Dbn), Dylan Lightfoot (J-Bay), Michael February (CT), Fred Patacchia Jnr (HAW) and Tanner Gudauskas (USA).

Brandon Jackson (Dbn) and Shane Sykes (Salt Rock) are the final two qualifiers who earned their places into the main event, courtesy of the Mr Price Pro Ballito trials, presented by Surfing South Africa, on Saturday June 28, 2014.

Jackson proved the standout of the day, winning the four-man Final over fellow advancing surfer Sykes, who finished runner-up.

“I used to compete on the ‘QS, so rocking up this morning and seeing all the familiar faces felt great,” Jackson said. “Last year I missed out on the trials, so I am really stoked to come back, take it out and, get into the main event.”

World No. 11 and 2010 Mr Price Pro Ballito Champion Jordy Smith (Dbn), heads up the draw as the top seed for the event and, will settle for nothing less than a podium finish next week.

“I’d love to win again,” Smith said. “Every event I enter, I aim for the podium. South Africa is home and I love nothing more than winning in front of my home crowd!”

Joining Smith are fellow elite WCT campaigners Kai Otton (AUS), former ASP World Champion CJ Hobgood (USA), Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Sebastian Zietz (HAW) who make up the event’s top five seeds.

Other surfers to look out for include past champions Glen Hall (IRL) 2012, Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 2011 and Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 2009, as well as former Pipeline Master Jeremy Flores (FRA).

They will be met with fierce competition from QS rating leaders Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), winner of the ASP Prime Quiksilver Saquarema Pro in Brasil and, Matt Banting (AUS) who is fresh of a win at the 6Star Los Cabos Open of Surf in Mexico.

The Surfline swell forecast looks promising with consistent surf for the week ahead. Fun, waist high surf is expected on Monday and Tuesday, increasing to chest and even some shoulder high sets through Wednesday.

A similar size SSW to S groundswell is on the radar for around Friday July 4, that could see wave-faces increase in time for the Final, on the weekend of July 5th-6th.

The Mr Price Pro Ballito will be held from Monday July 30 to Sunday June 6 2014 and will be webcast
LIVE via www.mrpricepro.com

Mr Price Pro Ballito Round of 96 Match-ups:

Heat 1: Filipe Toledo (BRA); Caio Ibelli (BRA); Ricardo Christie (NZL); Michael February (ZAF)
Heat 2: Tomas Hermes (BRA); Charles Martin (GLP); Nic Von Rupp (PRT); Felix Messias (BRA)
Heat 3: Aritz Aranburu (ESP); Carlos Munoz (CRI); Dales Staples (ZAF); Santiago Muniz (BRA)
Heat 4: Bino Lopes (BRA); Peterson Crisanto (BRA); Alex Ribeiro (BRA); Steven Pierson (PYF)
Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW); Tanner Gudauskas (USA); Heitor Alves (BRA); Thiago Camarao (BRA)
Heat 6: Travis Logie (ZAF); Wade Carmichael (AUS); Dillon Perillo (USA); Vincent Duvignac (FRA)
Heat 7: Wiggolly Dantas (BRA); Keanu Asing (HAW); Evan Geiselman (USA); Davey Cathels (AUS)
Heat 8: Sebastian Zietz (HAW); Maxime Huscenot (FRA); Frederico Morais (PRT); David Van Zyl (ZAF)
Heat 9: Halley Batista (BRA); Billy Stairmand (NZL); Tim Reyes (USA); Cory Arrambide
Heat 10: Alejo Muniz (BRA); Beyrick De Vries (ZAF); Perth Standlick (AUS); Thomas Woods (AUS)
Heat 11: Matt Banting (AUS); Willian Cardoso (BRA); Garrett Parkes (AUS); Torrey Meister (HAW)
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF); Krystian Kymerson (BRA); Mason Ho (HAW); Brandon Jackson (ZAF)
Heat 13: Kai Otton (AUS); Stu Kennedy (AUS); Jesse Mendes (BRA); Shayne Sykes (ZAF)
Heat 14: Patrick Gudauskas (USA); Granger Larsen (HAW); Tom Whittaker (AUS); Jean Da Silva (BRA)
Heat 15: Jadson Andre (BRA); Dusty Payne (HAW); Chris Ward (AUS); Marlon Lipke (PRT)
Heat 16: Adam Melling (AUS); Jay Thompson (AUS); Joan Duru (FRA); Gabriel Villaran (PER)
Heat 17: Jeremy Flores (FRA); Nathan Hedge (AUS); Brian Toth (PRI); Hiroto Ohhara (JPN)
Heat 18: Dion Atkinson (AUS); Marc Lacomare (FRA); Cooper Chapman (AUS); Michael Dunphy (USA)
Heat 19: Brett Simpson (USA); Damien Hobgood (USA); Marco Fernandez (BRA); Gavin Gillette (HAW)
Heat 20: Adrian Buchan (AUS); Glenn Hall (AUS); Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR); Dylan Lightfoot (ZAF)
Heat 21: Matt Wilkinson (AUS); Kiron Jabour (HAW); Hodeo Collazo (EUK); Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 22: Mitch Crews (AUS); Yadin Nicol (AUS); Gony Zubizarreta (ESP); Vincente Romero (ESP)
Heat 23: Mitch Coleborn (AUS); Conner Coffin (USA); Ryan Callinan (AUS); Hizunome Bettero (BRA)
Heat 24: CJ Hobgood (USA); Jonathan Gonzalez (CNY); David do Carmo (BRA); Slade Prestwich (ZAF)