Brazilian claims Quiksilver Pro Durban

28 April 2009

Brazilian Jadson Andre seized the 2009 Quiksilver Pro Durban title at Ansteys Beach on Sunday, putting on an amazing display of backhand power surfing to beat Australian ripper Owen Wright in the final.

Andre walked away with $20 000 in prize money and 3 500 World Qualifying Series (WQS) ratings points for the win. With a heat score of 18.00 out of a possible 20, the highest score of the entire event, he put his stamp on the event as a deserved winner.

In clean four-foot conditions and a pushing tide, the Brazilian goofy-footer was in incredible form, blasting some inverted backhand vertical moves on his way to victory.

After two early waves, Andre showed his intentions when he logged a 7.00 to take an early lead. Wright quickly answered back with a 5.00, but as Andre arrived back in the lineup he found himself sitting directly in the path of a heaving right.

Near perfect

Flying off the bottom, the Brazilian squared up and went vertically up the face to smash a huge re-entry, sending spray flying into the air. Racing down the line, he then backed up his initial cracker with two additional turns to secure a near perfect 9.33 out of a possible 10 and leave Wright needing a combination of scores to take the lead.

Not one to lie down, the plucky Australian paddled into a solid left-hander that walled up perfectly for him as he boosted a beautiful aerial move to pick up an 8.33 and close his required score down to 8.10.

With just nine minutes to go Wright found a similar looking left and again boosted a huge 360 aerial, but unfortunately he came unstuck on his second move, a vicious forehand layback, and scored only a 6.83.

In the 32nd minute of the 35-minute final, Andre put the nail in Wright’s coffin as he paddled into a big left and smashed two powerful forehand turns as the crowd on the beach showed their appreciation. The judges awarded him an 8.67 to effectively end Wright’s hopes of taking home the title.

‘Really happy’

“I’m really happy to have won this event,” said the elated victor, after spraying the crowd with champagne, “and I’d just like to thank all my friends and everyone who was on the beach today supporting me.

“When I was out in the water I just concentrated on surfing as well as I could, and I am really happy to have won such a prestigious event.”

Andre’s form throughout the event was excellent and he eliminated a host of big name surfers on his way to the final, among them World Tour stalwart Victor Ribas (Brazil), superbly talented Kirk Flintoff (Australia) and Bluff local Rudy Palmboom.

“I’ve had a great time here in Durban,” said runner-up Wright at the prize-giving, “and I’m super stoked to have made the final. This is the second final I’ve surfed against Jadson, so I guess now it’s one-all buddy!”

Semi-finals

Both semi-finals were closely contested affairs, with each of the winners only sneaking through on the siren.

In the first semi-final new school standout Julian Wilson took on compatriot Wright. Starting off slowly, Wilson was behind for most of the heat until a huge forehand 360 aerial saw the judges award him an 8.00 to push him into the lead.

Needing a low six to take back the lead, Wright found a meaty looking left right on the siren, milking it all the way to the beach where he finished with his own 360 air to post a 6.33 and knock his 21-year-old compatriot out of contention.

In the second semi-final, Australian Matt Wilkinson found himself having to contend with an in-form Andre who had put on a phenomenal display of aerial surfing in the quarter finals to eliminate Ireland’s Glenn Hall.

Changed tactics

As the tide pushed in, Andre changed tactics and began using his rail as he carved some beautiful turns. However, he had a terrible start to the heat, breaking his board on his opening wave and losing time as he had to swim in and get a back-up of the beach. Meanwhile, Wilkinson went to work and began to build a lead over the unfortunate Brazilian.

Andre fought back hard, but in the dying seconds he found himself in second place and facing elimination.

Needing a low score, he paddled into a medium size left-hander and carved it up all the way to the beach, ending in the shore-break before stepping off his board and running on to the sand.

When the commentator announced his wave score, a 5.23, enough for him to advance to the final, an elated Andre punched the air with his board.

Durban favourite

Durban’ favourite Travis Logie bowed out of contention in the quarter finals of the event as Australian surfers came to the fore and dominated the round. Fresh off a win in the Mark Richards Pro in Newcastle, Australia, Logie went down to Owen Wright and was clearly disappointed at the defeat after showing great form throughout the event.

Nevertheless, a fifth-place finish saw the 29-year-old pocket $2 950 in prize money and 2 275 points for his efforts, a substantial boost to his 2009 WQS campaign.

In the quarter-finals, despite starting with a classic tube ride, Logie came unstuck on several of his follow-up waves and was unable to answer Wright’s heat score of 15.57.

Quiksilver Pro Junior

The final of the Quiksilver Pro Junior preceded the main event and featured Umhlanga Rocks’ surfer Kyle Lane against Hawaii’s Kiron Jabour.

Lane was quickly out of the starting blocks, finding himself in his element in the running four footers to take an early lead.

His backhand attack proved too much for the Jabour and when the siren sounded the Hawaiian found himself short of the South African’s 14.83. Lane’s win saw him walk away with $2 500 in prize money.

“It’s been a nerve-wracking week waiting to surf the final,” he said after leaving the water, “so I just surfed and trained as much as I could, and I guess it paid off in the end, and I’m really stoked.”

The Quiksilver Pro Durban was contested by some of the world’s best surfers and carried the highest possible WQS rating and $145 000 in prize money.

RESULTS

Quarter-finals

Heat 1:

• 1. Owen Wright (15.57)

 

• 2. Travis Logie (12.83)

 

Heat 2:

• 1. Julian Wilson (11.17)

 

• 2. Daniel Ross (7.77)

 

Heat 3:

• 1. Jadson Andre (12.84)

 

• 2. Glenn Hall (4.56)

 

Heat 4:

• 1. Matt Wilkinson (8.44)

 

• 2. Marco Polo (8.40)

 

Semi-finals

Heat 1:

• 1. Owen Wright (12.16)

 

• 2. Julian Wilson (11.84)

 

Heat 2:

• 1. Jadson Andre (10.03)

 

• 2. Matt Wilkinson (9.16)

 

Final

 

• 1. Jadson Andre (18.00)

 

• 2. Owen Wright (15.16)

 

SAinfo reporter