Raditya Rondi

Jakarta Globe "Indonesia’s Raditya Rondi has started the year on a high, winning the Asian Surfing Championships Tour opener at Desaru Beach in Malaysia on Sunday."

'Raditya, who won the ASC overall title in its inaugural season last year, beat Mohd Nazrin of Malaysia in the Monsoon Mayhem International Surf Challenge after 25 minutes of battle in the final.

'The Maldives’ Abdullah Areef finished third, while another Indonesian surfer, Gilang, took fourth.

'The surfing conditions on the final day lived up to the “mayhem” moniker, with 3- to 4-foot waves closing out on the inside sandbars and rain squalls blowing in and out. Conditions improved for the Men’s Open finals, allowing for a thrilling finale to the three-day competition.

'Raditya was all smiles back on the beach after the final, pleased to be starting the 2012 ASC tour season with a win.

'“This is my first time coming here to Desaru and it’s been lots of fun, so to take the win today just caps it off,” the 22-year-old surfer from Bali said. “It’s a great way to start off the year.

'“We were really lucky that conditions got better in the finals, with the wind all but stopping, so it got pretty good which made it easier to find a couple of nice waves. It was also cool to see all the Malaysian crew again, as I really enjoy surfing with these guys here.”

'Meanwhile, 13-year-old Annissa Flynn of Thailand took the Women’s Division win on Saturday. She was the youngest of the women finalists, who included runner-up Nur Herwani from Malaysia, third-place finisher Michaela Partin from the United States and Brenda Lee from Malaysia in fourth place.'