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The Battle Rages On - And The Rookies Upset

The Battle Rages On - And The Rookies Upset

Date: 2017-06-16

avarua Namotu, Fiji and theOuterknown Fiji Pro, Stop No. 5 of the 2017 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), saw sensational upsets today in the remaining eight heats of Round 3. After a series of lay days, the event recommenced indramatic fashion to witness the world's best surfers battle in the four-to-five foot waves at Cloudbreak.

Leonardo Fioravanti, 2017 CT Rookie, upset the competition with his win over reigning WSL Champion and current World No. 1 John John Florence in Round 3. Fioravanti showcased a new level to his surfing with aggressive snaps for a 16.83 two-wave score out of a possible 20.

"The waves are really fun and I just got into a good rhythm," Fioravanti said. "My mom always tells me that I surf better on my backhand so I was just thinking about what my mom always says and trying to hit the lip as hard as I could, and it paid off. I felt really confident. It is a dream to surf these types of conditions at Cloudbreak with nobody else out."

11-time WSL Champion Kelly Slater was eliminated by rookie Connor O'Leary in a close battle separated by only 0.40 points. O'Leary secured a 10.74, while Slater tried to improve his 10.34. With priority in the dying minutes of the heat, Slater could not find the backup wave to combat the rookie and exited Fiji early.

Mick Fanning (AUS), three-time WSL Champion, was eliminated from the event by an in-form Michel Bourez (PYF) in the opening heat of the day. The upsets continued through to the last heat of the day with Stuart Kennedy's big win over Adriano de Souza, 2015 WSL Champion and current World No. 2.