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Lay Day for Billabong Pro Tahiti, Improved Conditions Forecast

 

 

Marlon Lipke (DEU), 25, 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie, was a standout in yesterday’s Round 1 action. The young goofy-footer will take on stalwart ASP World Tour veteran Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, in Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti when competition commences. Photo: ASP/ CI/ ROBERTSON via GETTY IMAGES
Marlon Lipke (DEU), 25, 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie, was a standout in yesterday’s Round 1 action. The young goofy-footer will take on stalwart ASP World Tour veteran Taj Burrow (AUS), 30, in Round 2 of the Billabong Pro Tahiti when competition commences. Photo: ASP/ CI/ ROBERTSON via GETTY IMAGES

 

 

TEAHUPOO, Tahiti (Sunday, May 10, 2009, Monday in Australia) – The Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui has been called off for the day, with lumpy four-foot (1.5 metre) swell and onshore winds replacing the near-perfection of yesterday.

 

Stop No. 3 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Tahiti saw the opening 14 heats of the man-on-man elimination Round 1 completed yesterday, and with the forecast calling for improved conditions in the coming days, event organizers opted to hold competition off for the day.

 

“We obviously don’t have the idyllic conditions that graced us yesterday with the swell a bit lump and the wind onshore,” Luke Egan, Billabong Pro Contest Director, said. “We’ve called competition off for the day, but are monitoring swell and winds for the coming days and it looks like we may be running again soon. We’ll be back tomorrow morning to make another decision.”

 

Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 7am start.

 

When competition resumes, first up will be Heitor Alves (BRA), 27, against 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie Michel Bourez (PYF), 23, in Heat 15 of Round 1.

 

Surfline, official forecasters for the Billabong Pro Tahiti, are calling for the current fetch of Southeasterly swell to pulse through the day with variable winds before being replaced by a more favorable WSW swell on Tuesday and Wednesday with improved winds.

 

Highlights from yesterday’s Billabong Pro Tahiti presented by Air Tahiti Nui are available at www.billabongpro.com

 

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

 

REMAINING BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 15: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)

Heat 16: Roy Powers (HAW) vs. Mick Campbell (AUS)

 

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. Phillip MacDonald (AUS)

Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Jay Thompson (AUS)

Heat 3: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. TBA

Heat 4: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. Marlon Lipke (DEU)

Heat 5: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. Josh Kerr (AUS)

Heat 6: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. TBA

Heat 7: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. Kai Otton (AUS)

Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Heiarii Williams (PYF)

Heat 9: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Andy Irons (HAW)

Heat 10: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. TBA

Heat 11: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Dustin Barca (HAW)

Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBA

Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Aritz Aranburu (EUK)

Heat 14: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA

Heat 15: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)

Heat 16: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. Tim Boal (FRA)