Kelly Slater Advances In Midst of Heavy Upsets at Day One of the Nike US Open of Surfing

by: Cyrus

Day one of the Nike US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach was a mixed bag of success and failure for the world’s greatest surfers.  Among those to advance out of the first round were defending 11-Time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater, Jordy Smith, Josh Kerr, Dane Reynolds and Gabriel Medina

 

“I haven’t really surfed for the last few weeks,” said Slater. “I hurt my ribs really bad after the Tavarua contest and took two weeks off. I did some more rehab, so I’ve just been resting and hoping it heals. I’ve come in fresh with a new board and it seemed to work. I felt like I was connecting with my Florida roots out there.”

 

Slater probably made the comparison because of the weak swell that resulted in small conditions at Huntington Beach.  The upsets in the opening round included Mick Fanning, Owen Wright, and Taj Burrow.   The Nike US Open of Surfing will resume tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM PT, including the opening day of the Women’s Nike US Open of Surfing.   All photos credited to USOpenOfSurfing.com.  Visit their website for more information.