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Keramas, Bali/Indonesia (Monday, May 28, 2018) – The Corona Bali Protected presented by Hurley, Stop No. 5 on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), continued today in exceptional conditions at Keramas. Bali’s best righthander was dishing flawless six-to-eight foot (2 – 2.4 metre) waves for the world’s best surfers as the event saw the completion of men’s Round 1 and six heats of elimination Round 2 before strong winds forced competition to be called off for the day. Australian sensation and WSL wildcard Mikey Wright (AUS) took another massive scalp in Round 2 at Keramas, overcoming American World Title hope Kolohe Andino (USA) in a dominant performance. Andino failed to find a rhythm in the hollow conditions, while Wright couldn’t put a foot wrong, scooping into some of the best waves of the morning. Wright took the heat with a 14.17 heat total, the highest of the round so far. “The conditions are so perfect this morning,” Wright said. “I was lucky enough to get a few really good waves and take the win. Every heat win on the CT is definitely good for my confidence. I really enjoy it over here in Bali and love traveling with my brother and sister (Owen and Tyler Wright). To do it year-round on the CT would be a dream and that is definitely my aim.” Current World No. 2 Filipe Toledo (BRA) had a very close call in his Round 2 matchup against local wildcard Oney Anwar (IDN), who lead for the majority of the heat. With Anwar in total control, Toledo opted to go for a trademark air and backed it up with a series of turns to give himself the lead. Anwar waited with priority but was unable to find a reply and bows out in Equal 25th place. “That was really close at the end because it took me a while to get in a rhythm,” said Toledo. “I knew it was going to be tough against Oney as he is a charger and so good in these types of hollow conditions. I’m just stoked to keep surfing in this event because the waves are so good — it’s absolutely pumping out there.”
Another top seed who just snuck through elimination Round 2 was Brasilian Italo Ferreira (BRA), who was pushed to the brink by Hawaiian prodigy Barron Mamiya (HAW). Mamiya locked in some solid scores early with his effortless style in the tube, while Ferreira struggled to find a barrel that would let him out. Needing a good score in the final minutes, Ferreira scratched into a medium-sized set and pulled into the tube, only to come flying out and jam two solid turns, netting the required score and taking the win. “I just couldn’t get going during that heat,” Ferreira said. “Barron was getting good waves early and I was taking off on closeouts and was really struggling to find a rhythm. The only other time I surfed a heat with Barron, he beat me, so I thought it was going to happen again. I was really fortunate to get a decent wave in the end and feel really lucky to get away with the heat win.” Since becoming a full-time member of the ‘Dream Tour,’ Michael February (ZAF) has shown flashes of brilliance but has not been able to post a solid result. His hopes of doing so at the Corona Bali Protected were going to be testing as he faced off with fellow 2018 CT Rookie Wade Carmichael (AUS). Carmichael, who was fresh off a runner-up finish at the recent Oi Rio Pro, was pegged as a standout in the powerful walls of Keramas. As the onshore trade-winds began to puff up, it became a duel of who could find the longest wall with the best sections and in the end, it was the young South African who posted the winning score and will progress into Round 3. “I was pretty nervous in that heat coming up against Wade (Carmichael),” February said. ”This wave really suits his power and he’s been in really good form. As it’s my first year on tour I’m not putting too much pressure on myself to get massive results, but I’m really keen to move into Round 3 and beyond. A lot of the rookies this year are doing well so it would be good to make a few more heats and maybe this will be my opportunity.” Adriano de Souza (BRA) took top honors in the first heat of the day, winning through to Round 3 by posting a pair of 7-point rides in what was a clinical performance. De Souza loves the waves here at Keramas, he even came all the way to Bali last year to compete in the QS 1,000 where he posted a perfect 20 out of 20 heat in the Quarterfinals. “Getting barrelled is the thing I love most about surfing,” De Souza said. “Indonesia is one of my favorite places in the world. You just surf, eat, sleep and repeat. The people are amazing and the waves are like what you dream about. So I am very happy to be into Round 3.”
With a rapidly dropping tide and increasing onshore winds, conditions at Keramas deteriorated leaving the WSL Commissioner’s Office to put the event on standby after Heat 11. The WSL Commissioners will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:00 a.m. local time to assess the conditions and make the next call for a potential 6:30 a.m. start at the Keramas. The Corona Bali Protected presented by Hurley will be broadcast LIVE on the WSL’s Facebook page, WorldSurfLeague.com, and the WSL app. Also, check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners. Easing SSW swell on Tuesday but still plenty of overhead waves in the tank, especially early. Then a fresh series of overlapping SSW-SW swells move in through the middle to end of the week with a long run of chest-head high to slightly overhead sets. More fun size SSW swell lines up for 5th-7th. Overall, expect surf to be best through first half of each morning with the more favorable tide/wind scenario. Surfline Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 1 Results: Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 2 Results: Upcoming Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 2 Matchups: Corona Bali Protected Women’s Pro Round 1 Matchups: |
