Rio Waida Advances to the Round of 16 at the WSL New Zealand Pro

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesian surfer Rio Waida advanced to the round of 16 of the World Surf League (WSL) Corona Cero New Zealand Pro after winning his second-round heat in Raglan, New Zealand, on Friday.

Rio secured his ticket to the next round after defeating Japanese surfer Connor O’Leary in heat 7 with a total of 15.20 points, scoring two of his best waves with scores of 7.83 and 7.37.

“I’m happy, it feels great, and the waves are clearly smaller than Uluwatu. I was a little bit struggling,” said Rio after the match, quoted by WSL.

Rio performed more dominantly, recording seven waves throughout the heat. He said he was under pressure after Connor first scored seven points.

“Once Connor got a seven, I thought I had to get a big wave. But I tried to calm down and wait for the best wave. Luckily, that wave came and I could do it like usual,” said the surfer from Bali.

Rio added that he started to feel more confident after getting a score of 7.83 on one of his best waves.

“After getting a 7.8, I felt more relaxed and could put a little more pressure,” said Rio.

The result in New Zealand is a positive achievement for Rio after he was unable to achieve his best results in the previous series this season.

The Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympian previously stopped in the round of 16 at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach and was eliminated in the second round of the Western Australia Margaret River Pro last month.

Rio also failed to advance further after losing in the second round of the Bonsoy Gold Coast Pro in Australia earlier this month.

In the round of 16, Rio will face Brazilian surfer Alejo Muniz. Their last meeting was at the Gold Coast Pro, with Muniz winning their head-to-head match.

Rio said he wants to continue the positive trend to win the title in the Championship Tour (CT) event.

“I’m excited for tomorrow. I feel good, the job isn’t finished. I want to win, that’s my goal,” said Rio.