Our Jordy Smith completed one of the best days of his burgeoning surfing career by beating both nine-time world champion Kelly Slater (US) and current World No 3 Bede Durbidge (Aus) at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast event in Australia.
Smith’s success sees him move into the semi-finals on the first stop on the 2010 ASP World Tour.
There were upsets galore as the remaining 16 surfers in round four of the event strutted their stuff in the outstanding 1–1.5 metre waves peeling down the point at Snapper Rocks, with Smith and fellow new-school progressive ripper Dane Reynolds (US) leading what appears to be a changing of the guard as they charged past the established campaigners and into what will be a fiercely contested semifinal encounter.
Smith led throughout against Slater, utilising his repertoire of radical fins-free manoeuvres, seemingly effortless floaters and deep tube rides to rack up 16.10 points out of 20, leaving the former two-time event champion needing a near perfect 9.10 points out of 10 when the heat ended.
“He is the king of our sport so just being out there surfing in a heat with him I don’t even care if I lose,’” Smith said of his first man-on-man clash with Slater. “You don’t get many opportunities to surf against Kelly, and also I guess it’s another good birthday present for my Mom. It was her birthday yesterday, so just to make it through a couple heats is pretty cool.”
Smith went on to defeat Durbidge in their quarter-final match-up, using a similar approach of smart heat tactics and committed surfing to overcome the in form Gold Coast local who had posted the highest heat total of the event to date, 19.30, in his round three victory.
Smith will be hoping that his semi-final with Reynolds, who treated the spectators to an awesome display of surfing in ousting crowd favourite and defending champion Joel Parkinson (Aus) with 19.20 points in the quarters, will be a case of third time lucky and that he can advance to his first final at the top level of competitive surfing.
In his previous two semi-finals he lost to eventual event winner Taj Burrow (Aus) as a wildcard at Jeffreys Bay in 2006 and was defeated by Parkinson, who also went on to win, at Bells Beach last Easter.
The other semi will see ASP world No 4 Burrow up against Bobby Martinez (US) after the pair defeated Adriano de Souza (Bra) and Kai Otten (Aus), who had eliminated reigning two-time ASP world champion Mick Fanning (Aus) in round four, in their respective quarter-finals.
Running in conjunction with the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, the ASP Top 17 completed the opening four heats of Round 3 of the Roxy Pro Gold Coast.
Stephanie Gilmore (Aus), 22, reigning three-time ASP World Champion, and Sally Fitzgibbons (Aus), 19, current ASP World No 5, dominated the mid-day action, with the youngster announcing herself as a legitimate ASP women’s world Title contender.
South Africa’s Rosanne Hodge (East London) will take on former ASP Women’s Wold Champion Chelsea Hedges (Aus) in heat six of round three when the event recommences.
Article Source: http://www.sascoc.co.za/
