CT rookie Kanoa Igarashi stole the show in his Round Three heat Thursday at the Billabong Pro Cascais. The Huntington Beach local displayed his innate ability to surf erratic beach break conditions, posting a 9.13 and an 8.90 on two running Guincho lefts. In the process, Kanoa knocked out his close friend and Qualifying Series leader Leonardo Fioravanti.
Kanoa is another surfer sitting on the requalification bubble. He sits at No. 5 on the QS rankings, and No. 21 on the CT rankings. As of now, Kanoa he is double-qualified, in which he ranks above the cutoff on both the CT and the QS tours. A solid result in Cascais will provide a more substantial QS cushion in case the rest of his CT campaign doesn't go according to plan.