Filipe Toledo and Willian Cardoso to face-off in Burton Toyota Pro Final – Surfing News
Brazil’s Filipe Toledo and his fellow countryman Willian Cardoso walked away with top honours from their respective Semi-final battles at the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) 6-Star Burton Toyota Pro, part of the Newcastle’s Surfest, which continued
at Merewether Beach in New South Wales, Australia, on Sunday, March 18.
Toledo got the better of America’s Gabe Kling in the first Semi-final, while Cardoso managed to make his compatriot Hizunome Bettero bow out to him in the second Semi-final to advance through into the Final.
Throughout the course of the latest ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) event, the Brazilian surfers had managed to maintain an excellent form and put on a series of excellent performances that even the Australian surfers with their local knowledge of the
waves were unable to beat. The two-to-three foot waves prevailing at the primary event site since the start of the event had increased to four feet before the competition resumed on Sunday, setting up an ideal stage for an excellent finish to what had been
an enthralling competition so far.
Pitted against an in-form Kling in the first Semi-final, Toledo put on a stunning performance to steal the show. He remained busy through the course of the heat, catching wave after wave that included a 5.00-point wave. However, the highlight of the heat
was his second business-wave that left the crowd and judges in awe, compelling the latter to give him a perfect score for the effort and putting him at a heat-total of 15.00 points.
With the bar raised so high, Kling found himself under immense pressure. He was unable to find an adequate response to his rival’s performance and eventually surrendered victory and thus the spot in the Final after finishing with a heat-total of 12.07 points,
which included a 6.17 and 5.90-point wave.
The second Semi-final featured a superb performance by Cardoso as he took down Bettero to confirm his place in the Final of Burton Toyota Pro.
As the battle kicked-off, Cardoso locked his first business-wave in the opening minutes to post a 7.00 on the score-board and later backed it up with a 7.40-point wave, finishing with a resultant heat-total of 14.40 points.
Bettero, on the other hand, was unable to offer a significant challenge and ended up succumbing to his rival after finishing with a heat-total of 11.27 points, which included a 5.67 and 5.60-point wave.
Tags: