Day one of the 2014 Quiksilver Pro, France

A small portion of the French coast tuned in and turned on this morning for opening day of the Quiksilver Pro, France. It was a small wave game, with turns out the back clocking the most desirable scores. Standouts? Not so surprising. Gabs Medina, current world number one and past Quik Pro, France winner, beat Dane Reynolds in round one – but not easily.

“That was a hard heat,” said Gabs. “Dane is always scary and Tiago has a lot of experience in these waves. I’m feeling good. My boards feel good and my surfing feels strong. France has a lot of special memories for me. I won the King Of The Groms here and I won my first WCT here. I’m hoping to make more memories.”

And how about Wilko sending Kelly Slater to round two, and Jeremy Flores shooting Mick Fanning to a similar fate? “This is a big event for me,” said Jeremy. “I’ve had a tough year and I’m fighting for my life on tour in these last three events. I’ve never had a strong result here in France and I’m hoping to change that this season. Getting a win over Mick, who I respect so much, in these conditions gives me great confidence for the week ahead. I appreciate all the hometown support I’ve received.”

Also straight danger? Michel Bourez, who’s already won two events this year and took out his round one heat with a 16.33 combined total. “It was a great way to start the event,” said Michel. “I feel very comfortable here. France is like my second home. The waves are fun today and I was able to try some more progressive surfing in my heat. Stoked to get a win and very appreciative of all the support.

Which is all well and good, you guys. But really, all you need to know about round two is this:

Heat one. Dane Reynolds. Kelly Slater.

(Get at the Heats On Demand, here)

Quiksilver Pro France Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.16, Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.97, Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.10
Heat 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 16.33, Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 11.80, Brett Simpson (USA) 9.93
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 16.73, Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.00, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 12.84
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 15.50, Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 10.83, Kai Otton (AUS) 5.17
Heat 5: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 14.67, Kelly Slater (USA) 14.50, Matt Banting (AUS) 13.43
Heat 6: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.17, Dane Reynolds (USA) 14.56, Tiago Pires (PRT) 13.43
Heat 7: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.90, C.J. Hobgood (USA) 13.76, Aritz Aranburu (ESP) 8.43
Heat 8: Julian Wilson (AUS) 16.77, Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.00, John John Florence (HAW) 12.73
Heat 9: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 15.16, Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.03, Dion Atkinson (AUS) 10.90
Heat 10: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 14.60, Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.84, Nat Young (USA) 12.06
Heat 11: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.43, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 12.00, Mitch Crews (AUS) 11.14
Heat 12: Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.23, Adam Melling (AUS) 12.00, Owen Wright (AUS) 10.43

Quiksilver Pro France Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Dane Reynolds (USA)
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 4: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Brett Simpson (USA)
Heat 5: Nat Young (USA) vs. Travis Logie (ZAF)
Heat 6: Owen Wright (AUS) vs. Aritz Aranburu (EUK)
Heat 7: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 8: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Dion Atkinson (AUS)
Heat 9: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) vs. Mitch Crews (AUS)
Heat 11: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Adam Melling (AUS)
Heat 12: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Tiago Pires (PRT)