The Fiji Pro powered through 13 elimination heats with epic performances along the way.
Condensed Heats
Recap: Round 1 | Round 2 (Heats 1-5)
Full Results
When Round 2 resumed at the Fiji Pro, solid swell made for busy heats and brought some big surprises. Top among them was when wildcard Dane Reynolds -- who hasn't competed full-time in years -- eliminated Adriano de Souza (BRA), World No. 1, in Round 3. Reynolds' ousting of the Jeep rankings leader wasn't long after he took down Josh Kerr (AUS), ranked World No. 4, in Round 2.
The patient wildcard finds a hollow section at Cloudbreak for a 9.57.
Blame it, in part, on fantastic conditions. Cloudbreak offered hollow barrel sections and big scoring opportunities, and saw the Top 34 earn seven nine-point scores during the second day of competition. The high numbers highlighted the type of performances that can unfold when the ocean fires up.
Five of those big scores came in the second half of Round 2. Most of the remaining top seeds in that round won in dominant fashion: Julian Wilson (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Kolohe Andino (USA) all broke into the nine-point range for deep tubes, with the Aussies finding double barrels on their rides. Rookie Ricardo Christie (NZL) earned a nine-pointer too, but was eliminated by Flores nonetheless.
The Aussie rips up Cloudbreak, finding two chandelier sections for a 9.27.
Adam Melling (AUS) was one of three lower-seeded surfers -- designated by blue jerseys -- who made it out of Round 2. After a solid Round 1 showing, Melling continued to pick apart the lineup in Round 2, earning three consecutive excellent-range scores to eliminate fellow Aussie Matt Wilkinson. He extended his head-to-head record over Wilkinson to 4-1.
"That first wave kinda set me up for the rest of the heat," Melling said. "I do a fair bit of fitness training at home and it's paying off I guess."
Matt Wilkinson and Adam Melling go wave for wave in the Round 2 condensed heat recap.
As Round 3 began wave heights began to drop, but Tour veterans were able to find the high lines to victory. Eleven-time World Champion and four-time Fiji winner Kelly Slater (USA) continued to impress, making his way out of narrow tubes and earning a near-perfect score in his triumph over Hawaiian Freddy Patacchia.
"It's been a really bad start for me this year," Slater said. "I've been rushing a few things this year when it hasn't been going my way and it's obviously shown. Fiji is definitely a comfortable place for me and I've felt like I've been clicking through the last two heats."
The vet shows off his considerable wave knowledge at Cloudbreak, and scores a 9.9.
Yellow Jersey Watch: Reynolds' nine-point ride in Round 3, in the last heat of the day, was the nail in the coffin for De Souza, the rankings leader. With De Souza out of the contest, the door is open for World No. 2 Filipe Toledo (BRA) and World No. 3 Mick Fanning (AUS) to take the yellow jersey away from him.
Fanning will compete in the first heat when competition continues, Round 3 Heat 7. Tune in to Dawn Patrol LIVE here or on the WSL app.
Quote of the Day: "I lost you, me and Freddy on my fantasy team today. It was a bad day." - Miguel Pupo to C.J. Hobgood
Wildcard Reynolds Defeats World No. 1
WSL
Condensed Heats
Recap: Round 1 | Round 2 (Heats 1-5)
Full Results
When Round 2 resumed at the Fiji Pro, solid swell made for busy heats and brought some big surprises. Top among them was when wildcard Dane Reynolds -- who hasn't competed full-time in years -- eliminated Adriano de Souza (BRA), World No. 1, in Round 3. Reynolds' ousting of the Jeep rankings leader wasn't long after he took down Josh Kerr (AUS), ranked World No. 4, in Round 2.
Blame it, in part, on fantastic conditions. Cloudbreak offered hollow barrel sections and big scoring opportunities, and saw the Top 34 earn seven nine-point scores during the second day of competition. The high numbers highlighted the type of performances that can unfold when the ocean fires up.
Five of those big scores came in the second half of Round 2. Most of the remaining top seeds in that round won in dominant fashion: Julian Wilson (AUS), Joel Parkinson (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Kolohe Andino (USA) all broke into the nine-point range for deep tubes, with the Aussies finding double barrels on their rides. Rookie Ricardo Christie (NZL) earned a nine-pointer too, but was eliminated by Flores nonetheless.
Adam Melling (AUS) was one of three lower-seeded surfers -- designated by blue jerseys -- who made it out of Round 2. After a solid Round 1 showing, Melling continued to pick apart the lineup in Round 2, earning three consecutive excellent-range scores to eliminate fellow Aussie Matt Wilkinson. He extended his head-to-head record over Wilkinson to 4-1.
"That first wave kinda set me up for the rest of the heat," Melling said. "I do a fair bit of fitness training at home and it's paying off I guess."
As Round 3 began wave heights began to drop, but Tour veterans were able to find the high lines to victory. Eleven-time World Champion and four-time Fiji winner Kelly Slater (USA) continued to impress, making his way out of narrow tubes and earning a near-perfect score in his triumph over Hawaiian Freddy Patacchia.
"It's been a really bad start for me this year," Slater said. "I've been rushing a few things this year when it hasn't been going my way and it's obviously shown. Fiji is definitely a comfortable place for me and I've felt like I've been clicking through the last two heats."
Yellow Jersey Watch: Reynolds' nine-point ride in Round 3, in the last heat of the day, was the nail in the coffin for De Souza, the rankings leader. With De Souza out of the contest, the door is open for World No. 2 Filipe Toledo (BRA) and World No. 3 Mick Fanning (AUS) to take the yellow jersey away from him.
Fanning will compete in the first heat when competition continues, Round 3 Heat 7. Tune in to Dawn Patrol LIVE here or on the WSL app.
Quote of the Day: "I lost you, me and Freddy on my fantasy team today. It was a bad day." - Miguel Pupo to C.J. Hobgood
Fiji Pro
The Australian became the first person ever to score two perfect heats in a single event.
The big man scored not one, but two perfect 20-point heats on his way to winning the Fiji event in 2015.
The world's best surfers are gathering in the South Pacific to meet up with some solid swell on the horizon. Get a head start of your Fiji
Don't miss the Fiji Pro on ABC's World of X Games July 4 at 2:00 p.m. ET/12:00 p.m. PT.
See some of the greatest moments from the historic 2015 Fiji Pro, through the lenses of Surfing Magazine.
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We are honored to have hosted the stream. Thank you to the Eddie Aikau Foundation for all of their hard work and dedication to perpetuating
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