Champions fall as Dane Reynolds detonates at Quiksilver Pro quarterfinals
Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 4 March, 2010 : - - Snapper Rocks, Queensland Australia --Pumping three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 metre) pulsed down the point at Snapper Rocks today, setting the stage for the world’s best surfers to unleash upon the warm-water walls at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover and the Roxy Pro Gold Coast.
The opening event of the 2010 ASP World Tour, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast saw Round 4 as well as the Quarterfinals completed today, with some massive upsets as the world’s best surfers
Dane Reynolds (USA), 24, current ASP World No. 10, was slow to start in his Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast campaign, but joined the giant-killing spree this afternoon, dispatching of 2009 ASP World Runner-Up and defending event winner Joel Parkinson (AUS), 28, in their Quarterfinal bout.
“I was actually kind of surprised walking up the beach and people were cheering,” Reynolds said. “I thought I was going to get booed or something, but yes that was special. That was one of the biggest heats of my life. I’ve never won a contest or anything so that was a pretty big one for me.”
Taj Burrow : photo ASP/Cestari
Reynolds left nothing to chance against the well-built Australian, posting a 9.27 out of a possible 10 on his opening wave for a series of ferocious forehand attacks and fin-free maneuvers. The Californian backed it up with the highest single-wave score of the day, a 9.93 out of a possible 10, for a blistering forehand assault before navigating through a Houdini-esque barrel. The result was the highest heat total of the day, a 19.20 out of a possible 20, and an emphatic win.
“That was a lot of fun and it was kind of what I was hoping was going to happen,” Reynolds said. “I feel like a lot of the time you’re out there and you see really good waves from the beach and once you’re out there, you’re kind of lost, but they all came together for me that time. I rode a different board - this one felt a lot better. This is the board I rode in my first heat. It felt kind of tricky then and this is only the second time I’ve ridden it, but it felt really good out there today.”
Reynolds will face Jordy Smith (ZAF), 22, in the Semifinals when the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast resumes. Smith caused a major upset in Round 4 earlier today, eliminating former nine-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater (USA), 38, with electric surfing and smart tactics.
“He (Slater) is the king of our sport so just being out there surfing in a heat with him, I said to my manager earlier, ‘I don’t even care if i lose,’” Smith said. “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 make it through a couple heats is pretty cool.”
Jordy Smith : photo ASP/Cestari
Smith would go on to defeat current ASP World No. 3 Bede Durbidge (AUS), 27, in the Quarterfinals.
Taj Burrow (AUS), 31, current ASP World No.4, continued his rampage at the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast today, advancing through to the Semifinals and continuing his flawless competitive run over the past two months. Collecting wins at Pipeline and Burleigh Heads, Burrow will look to keep the roll going into the business end of the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast.
“I’m feeling pretty good and getting a good momentum,” Burrow said. “It’s a feeling like you’re getting on a roll, and I feel really good on my board. I just picked a new board and it feels great, it really feels like it’s coming together for me.”
Burrow will face Bobby Martinez (USA), 27, in the opening Semifinal bout when competition resumes.
Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, reigning two-time ASP World Champion, went down today in a hard-fought Round 4 against compatriot Kai Otton (AUS), 30. Otton was subsequently eliminated by Martinez in the Quarterfinals.
Bobby Martinez : photo ASP/Kirstin
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. “2010 - hopefully a good year for me,” Fitzgibbons said. “I want to be in that title race for sure!”
Event organizers will reconvene tomorrow morning at 6:30am to assess conditions for a possible 8am start.
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST REMAINING ROUND 3 MATCH-UPS: Heat 5: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs. Lee Ann Curren (FRA) Heat 6: Chelsea Hedges (AUS) vs. Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) Heat 7: Melanie Bartels (HAW) vs. Jessi Miley-Dyer (HAW) Heat 8: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) vs. Carissa Moore (HAW)
The Mike Newman Stats: Wow boys, that was amazing, round 4 was brilliant… Throughout round 4 there were upsets and close heats. Only two heats surfed being runaway victories, with Bede and Taj turning it on whist Davo and Dan struggled to find waves..
4 heats were separated by under 2.3 points with Mick going down to Kai by just 0.19 pts. Straight off the bat in heat 1 Adriano got past Ace by just 0.36 pts.
In round 3, Bede posted his second 19 plus score of his career. 19.30 His best was his 19.40 he posted on the Gold Coast in 2007. In the quarter finals, Dane posted his second 19 plus score of his career. 19.20 Danes equal best was his 19.20 he posted @ J-Bay in 2009.
The 4 Semi Finalist left in the event are… USA 2 … Aussies 1 … ZAF 1 Rankings number; Taj 4 v Bobby 8 .. Dane 10 v Jordy 11 .. One of those will be number 1…
Only Taj has held the number one spot out of the final 4. Taj held down top spot for 1 event after he shared the top spot with Fanning in 2007 from event 2 to 3 after his Bells win. He finished 9th in the next event that year, Mick was 2nd and held the lead for the rest of the season.
2 of the final 4 have won a Dream Tour event before. There are 2 without a title yet… Dane has been to a 1 final earlier in their career for a 2nd. Jordy has been as far as the semis before for two 3rds.
Now they face off in semi number two for a crack at a title. So there will defiantly be a first time champion possibility with one of these two to make the final.
All 4 surfers in the Semis finals are round 1 losers, they all came through the 2nd round to the finals, first time I have seen this… Only 10 events in the last 46 events have been won by round 1 losers (22%) Only counting back events that have used the long method, three man round 1 heats.
M.N.
For the first time in the event’s storied nine-year history, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast is being televised LIVE on FUEL TV in Australia, beaming the world’s best surfing right into your living room. To find out how you can watch the world’s best surfers in one of the world’s most iconic pointbreaks LIVE on FUEL TV, check out foxsports.com.au/fueltv.
From the Quarterfinals onward, the Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast will also be broadcast LIVE via ESPN in Brazil.
If you see a good surfing wave, just shoot a free panorama or a 360 to share it with other surfers. It is easy and fun with pixeet and its fisheye lens.
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