Muniz crowned Ballito Pro champ
Brazil's Alejo Muniz took the title at the Ballito Pro on Sunday.
BRAZIL'S Alejo Muniz won the Ballito Pro at Surfer’s Beach in KwaDukuza on Sunday to consolidate his lead at the top of the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) rankings.
Muniz defeated Australia's Davey Cathels in the 40-minute final held in pristine 1.0 to 1.5 metre beach break waves, dropping a near-perfect score of 9.33 out of 10 and adding a 7.83 to leave Cathels in a combination situation where he needed to replace both his counting rides.
The Brazilian had his name etched on the brand new trophy for the Ballito Pro and was elated to hear that his points tally now exceeded the projected cutoff for qualification Top 34 ranked surfers who will contest the elite Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour (CT) in 2016.
“It’s been amazing and I would like to thank everyone that came down to the beach. I want to dedicate this trophy to my brother because he’s the one that is pushing me and he’s an amazing person, so I just try to be like him, a good person and really focus on surfing. Thanks all the Brazilians that came down to support me too, and I love Ballito,” he said.
In hearing of the qualification scenario, Muniz said he was pleased, as he had been on the CT for four years and it was a dream come true for surfers from Brazil to be able to surf against the best.
The Monster Energy Expression Session presented by Zigzag, run between the semifinals and final, saw 10 of South Africa’s most progressive surfers cut loose in the epic conditions with 17-year-old Matt McGillivray from Jeffreys Bay taking home the R20 000 winners pay cheque for the most impressive performance during the 30 minute session.
The R25 000 for the Monster Energy Wave of the Week presented by Zigzag was awarded to Brazil's Michael Rodrigues who recorded the only perfect 10 point ride during Round 2 of the Ballito Pro.
