Beat World Number 3 Surfer At Corona Open Mexico, Rio Waida: I'm Trembling, Don't Know What To Say

JAKARTA - Indonesian surfer Rio Waida defeated the world number 3 surfer Filipe Toledo from Brazil in the round of 32 of the Corona Open Mexico 2021 world tournament.

In the match that took place at Barra De La Cruz in Oaxaca, Mexico, Wednesday local time or early Thursday morning WIB, Rio was ahead of Toledo in total points.

"I'm shaking right now, I don't know what to say, because I surf the best I can. I think I was just lucky to beat Filipe," said Rio, in a live broadcast on the World Surf League YouTube channel, reported by Antara, Thursday.

"He (Toledo) has a good score but he doesn't have a back up score, I don't know. In my opinion, God saved me," Rio continued.

The Indonesian flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, recorded 5.83 and 5.50 points in the two best waves with a total of 11.33 points. Meanwhile, Toledo was only able to collect 10.23 total points.

Rio, who plays in Heat 9 wearing a white jersey, has been ahead of Toledo since the first wave. The difference between Rio and Filipe's points got even further when Rio managed to score 5.83 points in the third wave.

Toledo then chased the points that Rio had collected in the third wave. Not discouraged, Rio, in the final seconds before the match was over, managed to get a wave with a score of 5.50 points which brought him to victory.

"I heard it's 40 seconds left, so maybe one or two more waves... I need 4.40 points to catch (Toledo)... then, okay I have to look for waves, then I snap," said Rio.

"Filipe is one of my favorite surfers. I watched him surf, so I was very happy to beat him," added Rio.

Rio will continue his fight at the Corona Open Mexico 2021, which will take place August 10-19, to the round of 16. He was due to meet Australian surfer Jack Robinson on Heat 5.

Rio received a wildcard to enter the Corona Open Mexico 2021, which is part of the World Championship Tour, a tournament that can only be participated by the world's Top 34 wave surfers.

The Indonesian-Japanese surfer is considered one of the most progressive and talented surfers from the Asia-Pacific region, and is considered to have a very strong opportunity to join the World Championship Tour.