Jordy champion at Hurley Pro
The win moves him up to No. 11 on the WCT rankings.
Smith, 27, recently relocated to San Clemente and his local knowledge proved crucial in the powerful but wind-affected and unruly 1.2 to 2 metre (4 – 6 foot) surf for the Final. With wave selection vital, Smith opened his account with a heat high score of 9.33 but had to wait until the dying moments of the 35 minute encounter before posting a 7.27 to snatch victory from Florence.
The Hurley Pro, Stop No. 8 of 11 on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP World Championship Tour (WCT), was the first Final of the year for both surfers and marked the fourth win of Smith’s career after claiming titles at the 2010 and 2011 Billabong Pro J-Bay events and at the 2013 Billabong Pro Rio.
Smith’s road to the Final saw him post an excellent Round 1 win to advance directly to Round 3 where he was visibly elated after snapping a four heat losing streak by grinding out a low-scoring win over Julian Wilson (AUS). Slipping to third in his Round 4 encounter, Smith went on to post a narrow win over Michel Bourez (PYF) to reach the Quarterfinals where he defeated reigning three-time ASP World Champion Mick Fanning (AUS) before surviving a nail-biting Semifinal clash with Adrian Buchan (AUS).
“I feel unbelievable,” said Jordy Smith. “To be able to surf against the best surfer in the world at the moment is incredible. I started the heat really well but right toward to the end I started to think about everyone that’s been supporting me and it helped me nail that last wave. I knew I had to do something good. I’m over the moon, it’s a dream of mine to win Trestles, especially after moving here.”
21-year-old Florence posted the highest two-wave heat total and single-wave score of the competition en-route to the Final. He now sits at No. 8 on the ASP WCT Rankings after defeating Adriano De Souza (BRA) in the Quarterfinals and 11-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA) in the Semifinal.
“I was hoping that Jordy’s wave wasn’t going to be enough but he got it,” said John John Florence. “It was really hard to surf out there and good job to Jordy, he’s been surfing good all week. I’m so bummed, I hate coming that close to winning, but it’s given me some confidence going in to the next event.”
In a shock upset, Adrian Buchan (AUS) eliminated ASP World No. 1 Gabriel Medina (BRA) in the Quarterfinals to give the other title contenders the opportunity to narrow the gap at the top of the ASP WCT rankings. Only Slater gained ground, advancing to the Semifinals to consolidate the No. 2 spot, while Joel Parkinson (AUS) and Fanning also lost in the quarters to remain in 3rd and 4th places respectively. Parkinson lost to Slater in the Quarterfinals.
South Africa’s Travis Logie finished equal 25th overall in the Hurley Pro after losing to Trestles local Kolohe Andino (USA) in Round 2.
The Swatch Women’s Pro Final was an all-Australian rematch of this year’s Fiji Women’s Pro, this time decisively clinched by five-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore, 26, who defeated compatriot Sally Fitzgibbons..
Gilmore notched the event’s only Perfect 10 and added a 9.50 to take the win but second place for Fitzgibbons was sufficient to move her to the No. 1 spot on the rankings. Gilmore sits behind her in second place, and Carissa Moore (HAW), who was eliminated in Round 4, has dropped from first to third. The Swatch Women's Pro, the first ever women's WCT at Lower Trestles, was Stop No. 7 on this year’s Samsung Galaxy ASP Women’s World Championship Tour.
“I had a feeling that Sally and I would meet in the Final and I just wanted to get her back from Fiji because I had a really bad performance there,” said Stephanie Gilmore. “This event is really special and to be able to compete here is fantastic, I can’t believe I won. The World Title race just got even harder and more exciting so I’m looking forward to Europe.”
Fitzgibbons was blistering through the final day of the Swatch Women's Pro, disposing of Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) and Johanne Defay (FRA) successively on route to the Final.
(File Photo:Gallo Images)
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