Dane Reynolds out, top seeds progress in France

Les Gardians was fun today. Kelly Slater posted an early victory over wildcard danger Dane Reynolds to advance into round three. Currently faced with the difficult task of catching Gabriel Medina in the title race, Kelly needs to find gold in France. “I’m nervous about each heat now,” said Kelly. “The pressure is on me to perform and to win events if I want to catch up to Gabriel. I’ve been coming to France to surf for 25 years now and I’m about as comfortable as one can get. It’s about adaptability. The tide, waves, wind, banks and general conditions are always changing so you’re never overly confident. The guys who have surfed well here over the years, like Mick (Fanning) and Andy (Irons), have figured that out.”

Mick Fanning, last year’s French champ, faced off against a difficult wildcard of his own in Matt Banting. Mr Banting is the current ratings leader on the QS and will likely join the world’s creme in 2015. “I’m feeling good and focused, but you can never discount the conditions here in France nor an opponent like Matt,” said Mick. “Fortunately the waves cooperated and we had good surf for the heat. My surfing is feeling strong and boards feel good, but we really can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.”

John John Florence continued to impress with his aerial game and go-for-broke approach to competitive surfing. The Hawaiian jammed dynamic and powerful turns to dispatch of Raoni Monteiro and advance through to round three.

“The waves were super fun for our heat out there,” said John. “You never know what you’re going to get in France with the conditions for your heat, but we had really racy righthanders that were good for turns and airs.”

Kolohe Andino lost a close round one heat yesterday, but the Californian put on an impressive display in today’s round two over compatriot Brett Simpson. “I felt like I got a bit underscored yesterday and there was some debate over whether or not I was completing the manoeuvres,” said Kolohe. “I made sure there was no confusion today. Super fun waves though and hope for more tomorrow.”

Quiksilver Pro France Round Results:
Heat 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 11.84
Heat 2: Mick Fanning (AUS) 16.70 def. Matt Banting (AUS) 9.43
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW) 15.83 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 13.97
Heat 4: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.10 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 9.97
Heat 5: Travis Logie (ZAF) 15.74 def. Nat Young (USA) 12.00
Heat 6: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.07 def. Aritz Aranburu (EUK) 9.20
Heat 7: Jadson Andre (BRA) 16.13 def. Bede Durbidge (AUS) 15.90
Heat 8: Dion Atkinson (AUS) 13.93 def. C.J. Hobgood (USA) 10.77
Heat 9: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 14.03 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 13.60

Remaining Round 3 Match-Ups:
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)