| 
(Saturday
March 31, 2007) - Jacqueline Silva (Brazil) today won the Drug Aware Pro in testing,
windswept 1-to-1.5-metre (3-to-5ft) surf at Surfers Point in Margaret River, Western
Australia, where she defeated Jessi Miley-Dyer (Aus/NSW/Bronte). 
The
stylish Brazilian surfer was supreme all through the final day, winning her Quarter
and Semi Finals with a series of excellent rides. Silva defeated Hawaiian Melanie
Bartels in the Quarters and later, local hope Melanie Redman-Carr (Aus/WA/Dunsborough)
in the Semis. 
While
her performances leading up to the main Final were high-scoring, the Final itself
was a low-scoring affair, with quality waves hard to find due to strong South
Westerly winds ripping into the wave faces. Halfway through
the 35-minute Final, Miley-Dyer held a slender lead. However, neither girl had
a score in the 5-points or better range, and it was clear that whoever found the
first strong-scoring ride would gain a significant advantage. With just 10 minutes
remaining, Silva found the decisive ride – a slightly larger and less wind-affected
wave, allowing her to execute a combination of smooth top-to-bottom turns to progress
go to the lead, with a strong 6.83 score. Miley-Dyer challenged
late in the Final when she took off on a larger set wave, immediately scoring
with her powerful trademark top-turn, but the wave then simply flattened out on
her and provided no further scoring potential. Her 6.17 score fell, leaving her
in second position for the remainder of the Final. Surrounded
by a large, fanatical crowd of Brazilian fans after the Final, Silva said: “It’s
fantastic for me to finally win again. I only just missed a win two weeks ago
in Newcastle where I finished second and today was my first win in an ASP event
since California nearly two years ago. All my results this year have been good
and to win a major six-star today, well, I now feel powerful and confident as
I head to Bells Beach for our next World Tour event.” “Margaret
River is such a famous surf break, and even though today’s Finals waves were
difficult, we have had great waves during the week. To win here like this is really
prestigious.” For today’s win, Silva picked up US$4,500,
along with 2,500 points on the ASP World Qualifying Series ratings, while Miley-Dyer
collected 2,150 points. The result sees Miley-Dyer now leading the World Qualifying
Series ratings, with Silva in third place. Commenting on her
performance, Miley-Dyer said: “I’m not too disappointed with my final
result. It was really tough conditions out there, and it really came down to who
got the best wave. Unfortunately for me, that was Silva.” “It
was so windy out there that I couldn’t even hear the scores, and when I found
out that I only needed a 4-point ride to win when I came in, that was really disappointing.
If I’d known that out there, I probably could’ve dug deep and won, but
I thought I needed a 7, which was out of reach in those conditions.” Melanie
Redman-Carr placed equal third today, after losing her Semi-Final to Silva, while
in the other Semi-Final, Samantha Cornish (Aus/NSW/Crescent Head) was defeated
by Miley-Dyer. | 
