Favourites Upset

FREESTONE TUBE: Jack Freestone pulls in on his way to beating Italo Ferreira. Photo WSL / Dunbar

Conditions were clean 3-5ft as Freestone, the recent winner of the Red Bull Airborne Bali, capitalised on opportunities under Ferreira’s priority, and Ferreira just couldn't find the waves he needed. Ferreira was defending event winner at Bells Beach but relinquished his Jeep Leader Jersey to Florence (HAW) and now falls short to Freestone (AUS) to leave Bali in equal 17th place.

Florence, two-time WSL Champion, was eliminated by France’s Joan Duru in Heat 3 by only one-tenth of a point. Duru, who narrowly requalified for the CT this year, got an early lead and secured three consecutive mid-range scores. Florence then battled back to overtake the lead, but Duru refused to back down and his 6.17 in the dying minutes gave him just enough to take down the Jeep Frontrunner.

“My first wave I maybe pushed too hard and was kind of falling,” Duru said. “I knew I needed to surf that heat well but I didn’t think too much. I just went for it. I remember my fellow Frenchman Marc Lacomare back in the day during the Juniors. He was really ripping here and getting 9-point rides, so I just tried to surf like him.”

FRENCH TALE: Joan Duru looked in top form to oust John John by a tiny margin. Photo WSL / Dunbar

“That was a super tough heat for sure,” Florence said. “I made a few mistakes in that heat, which right now is all I can think of. I’ll have to go back and watch it again to see where I went wrong. The waves are super fun and, obviously, Joan (Duru) ripped that last wave really well, but I didn’t see it. I’ll probably hang out here for a couple of days and then head to Margaret River next week. I’m so stoked to be heading back there this year and hopefully, we get some pumping waves at North Point or something.”

Michel Bourez (FRA) had a close call in his head-to-head heat with Indonesian wildcard Rio Waida (IDN), who fell short by only 1.03 in the last heat of the day. Waida struggled to find opportunities in the low tide conditions as the local crowds cheered him on from the beach. Jeremy Flores (FRA) also advanced with a buzzer-beater win over Willian Cardoso (BRA) in Heat 6.

Julian Wilson (AUS) advanced through his first Round 3 heat of the season after sending home CT returner Jadson Andre (BRA). Wilson’s well-rounded approach is a perfect match for Keramas with the Title hopeful showcasing tube-riding, tight rail-carves and big aerials to win the heat and guarantee his best finish of the year so far. Andre is eliminated in Equal 17th place for the second time this year.

JOHN JOHN OUT: World #1 Florence lost in Round 3 by a fraction of a point. Photo WSL / Dunbar

Fresh off a Final finish at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach, Brasilian sensation Filipe Toledo (BRA) seems to be hitting his straps in 2019 posting the two highest single-wave scores of the event so far. The second highest, an 8.33 came in his Round of 32 matchup with countryman Caio Ibelli for an epic combination of rail and aerial surfing. With Florence and Ferreira, two surfers who sit ahead of him on the Jeep Leaderboard, current World No. 4 Toledo, has a big opportunity to jump closer to attaining top spot with another solid performance at Keramas.

11-time World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) took a convincing win over perennial title threat Owen Wright (AUS) in Heat 11 of the Round of 32. In a heat that saw the waves begin to slow with the outgoing tide, it seemed to be a Slater of old as the Floridian willed waves with both tubes and walls, while Wright struggled to find opportunity.

“I love Owen (Wright), he's a great guy,” Slater said. “We had a fun surf a Winki a couple days after the Bells event. He's obviously been through a lot of hardship but you kind of have to put all that stuff out of your mind. I went in with the mindset that I have the advantage here. I was able to play the heat right. My board feels stuck to my feet, which is a real confidence booster.”

WILSON WINGS: Julian Wilson is at the top of his game. He beat Jadson Andre. Photo WSL / Dunbar

Kolohe Andino (USA) earned the day's highest two-wave total with a 14.54 (out of a possible 20) against Ricardo Christie (NZL) in Heat 8. Andino will advance to the Round of 16 where he will face fellow Californian Conner Coffin (USA) in Heat 4.

The next call for the Corona Bali Protected will be tomorrow, Monday, May 20, at 7:00 a.m. WITA for a possible 7:05 a.m. start. At this time, event organizers will assess the conditions to decide the day’s competition schedule.

The Corona Bali Protected will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and Facebook.com/WSL . Also check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners.

BULLET TRAJECTORY: The King may not be on the throne, but he still shreds. Photo WSL / Dorsey

Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 3 (Round of 32)
Heat 1: Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.23 DEF. Jadson Andre (BRA) 8.00
Heat 2: Michael Rodrigues (BRA) 12.27 DEF. Yago Dora (BRA) 3.57
Heat 3: Joan Duru (FRA) 12.14 DEF. John John Florence (HAW) 12.04
Heat 4: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 11.63 DEF. Deivid Silva (BRA) 11.44
Heat 5: Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.26 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 4.77
Heat 6: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 13.74 DEF. Willian Cardoso (BRA) 11.34
Heat 7: Conner Coffin (USA) 10.33 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 7.33
Heat 8: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.54 DEF. Ricardo Christie (NZL) 8.37
Heat 9: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.00 DEF. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 7.13
Heat 10: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 11.76 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 9.50
Heat 11: Kelly Slater (USA) 12.50 DEF. Owen Wright (AUS) 8.30
Heat 12: Michel Bourez (FRA) 9.13 DEF. Rio Waida (IDN) 8.10

Corona Bali Protected Men’s Round 3 (Round of 32) Matchups
Heat 13: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 14: Mikey Wright (AUS) vs. Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Heat 15: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA)
Heat 16: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Jesse Mendes (BRA)

Corona Bali Protected Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups
QF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Brisa Hennessy (CRI)
QF 2: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
QF 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Courtney Conlogue (USA)
QF 4: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)