Slater advances to Quiksilver Pro N.Y. quarterfinals

After the completion of Rounds four and five of the Quiksilver Pro New York, event No. 6 of 11 on the 2011 ASP World Title season, the top eight surfers, including 10-time ASP world-champion Kelly Slater, advanced to the contest’s quarterfinals, which will take place Friday morning.

The Quiksilver Pro N.Y. quarterfinals will consist of four, two-man heats. The final eight surfers will go head-to-head, vying for a spot in the semi-finals, and one step closer to the final round.

Taj Burrow, of Australia, who won his heat in Round 4, will go up against Brazilian sensation Jadson Andre, in heat one.

Arguably the most exciting heat will be the second, where Slater will battle it out with Josh Kerr of Australia. In Round four on Thursday, Kerr stunned Slater with great skill and gravity-defying technique, taking first place in heat two. Slater placed second, and had to defeat Jeremy Flores, of France, in Round five, heat two, to move on in the competition.

"The conditions are tough," Slater said. "... With the rips from east wind, it's a lot trickier, especially on the lefts. I was trying to find peaky mid-sized rights and wasn't sure where to sit. Obviously you want to make at least Quarterfinals when you're in position for a World Title."

Alejo Muniz, of Brazil, and Heitor Alves, of Brazil, will contend for first place in heat three of the quarterfinals, while Owen Wright, of Australia, will face Julian Wilson, also of Australia, in heat four.

Wright said that throughout the competition, he has been mindful of his fellow surfers, studying their strategies while remaining focused to advance in the contest.

“I was paying attention then to where the other guys were in the lineup,” he said after his heat in Round four. “It was a slow heat. I picked the right game plan to get through that one.”

Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver Pro New York, are calling for six to eight foot waves Friday morning, but noted that the surf will drop in the afternoon as Hurricane Katia races off into the Atlantic.

Wilson said that he’s stoked for Friday’s quarterfinals, and that despite his formidable competition in Wright, he intends to embrace whatever experience he has come tomorrow.

“I can’t wait. I want to enjoy it,” he said. “I’m excited, and I hope some decent waters come to me—I don’t want to get lost out there.”