19 Oct 2011

Slater edges towards 11th world surfing crown

12:12 pm on 19 October 2011

Kelly Slater has all but sealed an 11th world surfing title despite being defeated in the final of the Rip Curl Pro by Brazil's Adriano de Souza at Supertubos.

De Souza edged the American in clean 1.5 metre barrels to claim just the third elite tour win of his career.

But it will only take a finish of ninth - two heat wins - or better at the next tour stop in San Francisco for Slater to claim yet another overall crown.