A precious swell returned to San Clemente for the conclusion of Round 2 of the Hurley Pro at Trestles 2014. Gabriel Medina and Kelly Slater survived early elimination.
The Brazilian redeemed himself in a decisive heat against Raoni Monteiro. Medina displayed his selective air game and took the win with two airs.
"In the beginning of the heat we couldn't catch many waves. It was so slow and I was getting nervous. I'm just stoked to make it through. It's always hard to compete against a Brazilian guy but it's a competition and we just think about our job," underlines Medina.
Kelly Slater had a tough task ahead because Jeremy Flores was looking forward to improving his season results. The Floridian pulled an an acrobatic air followed by an impossible whitewater recovery to steal the show.
"I knew I needed to do something big, it was a little sloppy but I made it. Jeremy and I are good friends, we travelled together for years. That was a big heat for both of us being in Round 2," said Slater.
Four surfers have already completed their Round 3 clashes. Michel Bourez, Adrian Buchan, Mick Fanning and Miguel Pupo are through to the next round.
Hurley Pro at Trestles 2014 | Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.67 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.44
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.30 def. Nat Young (USA) 15.60
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.60 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 10.83
Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 11.16 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.93
Hurley Pro at Trestles 2014 | Round 3 Upcoming MatchUps:
Heat 5: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Julian Wilson (AUS)
Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Carlos Munoz (BRA)
Heat 7: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Tanner Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 8: John John Florence (HAW) vs. C.J. Hobgood (USA)
Heat 9: Adriano De Souza (BRA) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Heat 10: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)
Heat 11: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Fredrick Patacchia (HAW)
Heat 12: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Artiz Aranburu (ESP)