Tuach moves on to semis, Burke knocked out

Barbados’ Chelsea Tuach is through to the semi-finals of the Martinique Surf Pro QS 3000 in Basse Pointe.

Competing yesterday in the quarter final Heat, Tuach came up against 20 year-old, Australian Holly Wawn in a head-to-head battle.

The Barbadian immediately put her opponent under pressure with some solid waves in the five-point range, while Wawn struggled to find the right wave.

Inside the first ten minutes of the Heat, Tuach had already a combination score of 10.50 while Wawn only registered a 0.50 single wave.

Wawn held priority but fell on a her second turn on a wave that might have given her a decent score.

Tuach turned in four solid performances and her two highest wave combination score of 5.33 and 5.57 gave her a 10.90 total.

Wawn highest wave score in the heat was a mere 3.33 and had to settle for a total of 6.46 to be knocked out.

After the heat Tuach the last survivor from the Caribbean said that it was a scrappy heat as she told herself that she would get the five-point waves to start and then look for higher scoring waves but she couldn’t find any waves to produce the scores.

Tuach said that she feels “a bit of extra confidence [competing] in the Caribbean, I have had a good week and have been carrying that through the rounds.”

“Before the heats I told myself that I was on tour and if I want to get back there I have to beat Holly (Wawn) who is a powerful surfer.”

“She has the power but I can match that with my explosiveness... bringing something different and bringing my own strengths.”

Tuach is slated to battle yet another Australian as she takes on Philippa Anderson in the second semi-final heat.

In a tough Round 5 Heat, Barbados’ Joshua Burke finished third in a close battle.

With Heat winner Leonardo Fioravanti from Italy posting the only seven-point wave for the Heat, Burke battled Miguel Tudela and Beyrick De Vires for the final place in the quarter finals.

South Africa’s De Vires was in second place with waves scores of 5.67 and 5.63 for a total of 11.30 early in the Heat, leaving Burke and Tudela to chase as they did not have a combination so high.

However later in the Heat, Burke, on his sixth wave posted a good score of 6.27, which was match by Tudela with a 6.0 score.

Tudela moved into second with 11.80 and Burke just behind on 11.70

Burke’s last three attempts did not produce the score he needed to overtake Tudela in second place; he finished third in the Heat. (CG)