Form Guide Pipe Masters Day Two (+ photos)

In: Form Guide Press Release Thu 16th Dec '10

Tags: asp , billabong pipe masters , kelly slater , owen wright , Dusty Payne , Mick Fanning

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PIPELINE, Oahu/Hawaii (Wednesday, December 15, 2010) - The Billabong Pipe Masters roared back to life today with Pipeline delivering clean four-to-six foot Backdoor barrels for one of the most electrifying days of competition this year.

The final stop of the 2010 ASP World Tour season, the Billabong Pipe Masters rampaged through Rounds 3, 4 and 5 before capping the day with the Vans Duel for the Jewel, a four-woman battle royale being held (for the first time) at the infamous Pipeline.

Kelly Slater (USA), 38, reigning 10-time ASP World Champion, continued to assert his dominance amongst the world's best surfers today by posting the event's only Perfect 10, weaving through a bombing backdoor barrel en route to a Round 4 win and advancing directly through to the Quarterfinals.

"There are really good waves when they come," Slater said. "There's only one or two in a set, but they're really good when they come. That 10 was a long one. It had that good north corner on it and the right was just growing. That one hit the reef really well."

With Slater's 10th ASP World Title having been decided in Puerto Rico, the six-time Billabong Pipe Masters Champion is taking a more light-hearted approach to competition in the final event of the year.

"At this point, I've had a great year and I'm happy," Slater said. "I'm happy to make it through heats, but if I don't, this is a fun event for me now and hopefully we'll get some good waves."

Slater will surf against Adrian Buchan (AUS), 28, in Quarterfinal No. 2.

Buchan locked into amazing barrels on both his forehand and backhand today to advance though to the Quarterfinals, and is now the only surfer who can overtake current Vans Triple Crown leader Joel Parkinson (AUS), 29, for the prestigious Hawaiian series title.

"I'd love to win the Triple Crown," Buchan said. "It's a huge prize, but I have a lot of work to do. I do have a chance though and that's all I need."

Buchan needs to win the Billabong Pipe Masters to clinch the 2010 Vans Triple Crown.

For the first time in history, the Vans Women's Triple Crown of Surfing culminated at Pipeline today, with reigning four-time ASP Women's World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 22, Hawaiian powerhouse Coco Ho (HAW), 19, and 2011 ASP Women's World Tour qualifiers Tyler Wright (AUS), 16, and Alana Blanchard (HAW), 20, battling it out in classic Pipeline conditions.

When the dust settled, it was Gilmore who navigated the treacherous conditions to earn her third Vans Triple Crown title by winning the Vans Duel for the Jewel at Backdoor Pipeline.

"I would trade it all to have another session out there with no one out," Gilmore said. "It was just exciting to be out there with the girls. I got pretty smashed on my first wave, but you just get in to a zone where you want the biggest and best waves and I got that one nice barrel."

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 7am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.

Billabong Pipe Masters Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.00 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 8.33
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 7.40 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 7.40
Heat 3: Bede Durbidge (AUS) 11.33 def. Adam Melling (AUS) 3.27
Heat 4: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 11.66 def. Fred Patacchia (HAW) 11.50
Heat 5: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 17.10 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 14.00
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.90 def. John Florence (HAW) 14.23
Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 17.10 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 12.87
Heat 8: Damien Hobgood (USA) 12.50 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 9.10
Heat 9: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 10.93 def. David Wassell (HAW) 10.66
Heat 10: Dane Reynolds (USA) 13.43 def. Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 11.66
Heat 11: Taylor Knox (USA) 14.66 def. Michel Bourez (PYF) 14.34
Heat 12: Dusty Payne (HAW) 18.87 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 17.94

Billabong Pipe Masters Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.66, Taj Burrow (AUS) 10.40, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 4.97
Heat 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.17, Adrian Buchan (AUS) 10.23, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 8.17
Heat 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.27, Kieren Perrow (AUS) 15.03, Damien Hobgood (USA) 6.67
Heat 4: Taylor Knox (USA) 12.33, Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.54, Dusty Payne (HAW) 6.60

Billabong Pipe Masters Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.30 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 11.60
Heat 2: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 16.34 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.43
Heat 3: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 17.90 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 17.67
Heat 4: Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.23 def. Damien Hobgood (USA) 10.84

Billabong Pipe Masters Quarterfinal Match-Ups:
QF 1: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
QF 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Kieren Perrow (AUS)
QF 4: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)

Vans Duel for the Jewel Final:
1 - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.50
2 - Tyler Wright (AUS) 7.50
3 - Coco Ho (HAW) 6.86
4 - Alana Blanchard (HAW) 1.50

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