Jordy Smith and Julian Wilson enter Semi-Finals at Quicksilver Pro France – 2011 ASP World Tour
The crucial Quarter-Final stage of the latest Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, Quiksilver Pro Final, continued with the third Quarter-Final pitting South Africa’s Jordy Smith against Brazil’s Alejo Muniz, while Australia’s Julian Wilson
took on his compatriot, Taj Burrow, in the fourth Quarter-Final on Wednesday, October 12, at the renowned beach-break of La Graviere in France.
The third Quarter-Final saw Smith continue to exhibit an excellent form to remove Muniz from the contention for the event-title and advance through into the Semi-Finals.
Despite the huge handicap in terms of experience, Wilson managed to prevail over Burrow in the fourth Quarter-Final, consequently confirming his place in the Semi-Finals while eliminating his intimidating opponent from the competition.
The demanding surfing conditions prevailing at the event site had been playing a substantial role in determining the outcome of the contests over the last few days. However, the quality of the waves turned out to be much better on the final day of the competition,
with high-performance three-to-four foot waves gracing the banks of La Graviere.
Competing against an in-form Muniz for the Semi-Final spot, the 23-year-old Smith showed absolutely no mercy during the 30-minute heat and made it quite clear that he meant business. As the battle commenced, the Brazilian got off to a promising start, collecting
6.67 points off his first wave. A short search allowed him to add an additional 7.10 points to his account, taking him to a heat-total of 13.77 points.
Smith got off to a slow and cautious start, but gradually built momentum to eventually lock a wave to post 7.23 points on the score-board. Keeping the momentum going, he went on to catch yet another juicy wave, which he utilised to unleash a series of spectacular
tricks to add an 8.03 to his account, consequently moving to a heat-total of 15.26 points. The score moved him ahead of his Brazilian rival on the score-board and eventually sealed the fate of the heat in his favour.
The last Quarter-Final saw the 22-year-old Wilson square off with his experienced countryman, Burrow, for the Semi-Final spot. While the young Australian was in an outstanding form and held the potential to take anyone down, the experience and skills of
Burrow could have become a decisive factor as well. The battle was expected to be epic, with the scales not tipping in anyone’s favour significantly.
As the 30-minute heat began, it soon became obvious which direction the battle was headed into. While Burrow was struggling to navigate his way through the waves, Wilson got off to an outstanding start.
In the opening minutes of the battle, Wilson collected 6.00 points off his first business-wave, while Burrow responded with a 2.17-point wave. As the heat reached its final minutes, the latter added another 4.67 points to his account, moving to a heat-total
of 6.84 points and pretty much losing the match right there. However, Wilson went for the killing blow in the dying minutes of the battle by scoring a 7.00 off his second business-wave to defeat his opponent with a margin of 6.16 points.
With the conclusion of the fourth Quarter-Final, the four Semi-Finalists were revealed, all of which were apparently in exceptional form, which in turn promised a thrilling surfing session ahead.
For updates on the Semi-Finals of Quiksilver Pro France, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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