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Poor start for Floridian in title defence
by George Mojo
01/03/2007:// Eight-times world champion Kelly Slater has had a poor start to the defence of his World Championship Tour title in Australia losing his opening heat of the new season.
The Floridian was outpointed in three to four feet waves at Snapper Rocks by wild card Julian Wilson.
Slater, who is the defending Quiksilver Pro champion, was relegated to round two while Wilson has been seeded directly into Round three.
"I'm stoked - I have never surfed in a big comp like this before and my expectations weren't this high," Wilson said.
"I'm trying to keep them high, but it's pretty hard when you're looking into a lineup like the one I have ahead of me. I'm just taking it one step at a time and hopefully I'll do all right."
Slater, meanwhile, will next meet 19-year-old local wildcard Dale Richards, who alongside former three-time Foster's ASP World Champion Hawaiian Andy Irons, was sent to Round two at the hands of South African Greg Emslie.
"I get Dale Richards now who obviously knows the wave real well," said Slater.
"He hasn't had the chance to surf these events before so we'll see if he can get himself real calm and just focus on what he is doing. If he doesn't get too distracted, he could do real well."
Richards won the Quiksilver Pro trials to earn main event entry and, in doing so, has become the first-ever indigenous Australian in a Foster's ASP World Tour event.
"I guess I am the first indigenous surfer to make it one of these events so I feel real privileged to be that surfer," said Richards.
"I've actually never really thought about competing against Slater, but I'm looking forward to it now, definitely. I've just seen him in the movies and watched his first heat, that's all."
Taj Burrow was the third of the Top 5 seeded Foster's 45 surfers failing to advance straight through to Round three.
Although netting an impressive 9.27 out of a possible 10 for a beautiful series of carves and aerials, it was too little too late and he will have to battle his way out of the elimination Round 2.
The number three seed Mick Fanning led a local charge that saw Gold Coast surfers Joel Parkinson, Dean Morrison and rookie sensation Josh Kerr advance through their respective heats straight into the round of 32.
American Bobby Martinez , 2006 Foster's ASP World Tour Rookie of the Year, is proving just as dangerous in 2007 - netting the round's high heat score 17.90 out of a possible 20.
Of the 10 new faces on the 2007 Foster's ASP World Tour, six advanced straight to Round three - Leonardo Neves (BRA), Kai Otton (AUS), Ben Dunn (AUS), Josh Kerr (AUS), Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Ricky Basnett (ZAF) among them.
Cornwall's Russell Winter has had a superb start at the Buondi Billabong Pro in Portugal notching up one of the top four heat scores of the competition so far
Cornwall's Ruebyn Ash put in a superb performance to reach his second European Pro Junior final of the season
Skins "King of the Groms" Contest and Spencer Hargraves raise £800
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