Slater and Wright’s third consecutive Final bout marks a first in ASP history, as no two competitors have faced off in three successive ASP Dream Tour Finals – a noteworthy statistic in sparking this new rivalry in the battle for the ASP World Title.

Slater roared to life on the Final day, unloading the highest heat-total of competition, 18.40 out of 20 in the Semifinals, and maintained his lethal form throughout the day’s entirety with a consistent display of new-school airs and patented carves to clinch his unprecedented 48th elite ASP World Tour victory and third of the season.

“Owen (Wright) is tough and he’s been surfing great,” Slater said. “There really are no weak points to his surfing and he’s going to be a standout in every spot. A lot of the guys tried to get him this week and I got lucky in that last exchange. I was taking the first wave of the set under his priority and once I got priority I wanted to wait. It almost looked like there wasn’t a wave after Owen’s. It’s been fun surfing against Owen and surfing Lowers. It’s been a great week and thanks everyone for the crazy support, it’s been wonderful.”

Wright, current No. 2 on the ASP World Title rankings, has continued to build momentum throughout his sophomore year amongst the ASP Top 34 and dispatched of a rampaging Mick Fanning (AUS), 30, and rookie prodigy Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, en route to his rematch against Slater, but was unable to solidify the victory over the veteran in the Final.

“I’ve been enjoying the rivalry,” Wright said. “We’ve had some great heats and the last three finals have been great. I’m glad the sets came through at the end. It was a bit of a dud final but I’m glad that last exchange came though at the end. It made it exciting.”

Julian Wilson (AUS), 22, was a standout throughout the Hurley Pro at Trestles, earning the highest single-wave score of 9.80 as well as the second-highest heat-total of 18.23 in his Quarterfinals win over Joel Parkinson (AUS), 30, and consistently unloaded some of the most progressive maneuvers of the contest.

“I had a bit of fire after yesterday, not against Joel (Parkinson), but just to show that I could beat him,” Wilson said after his Quarterfinal win. “I’ve dreamed about surfing against Joel and Mick (Fanning) my whole life and yesterday gave me a lot of confidence to go against him today.”

The young Australian got off to a slow start in his Semifinals matchup versus Owen Wright after an interference and was unable to rebound, finishing equal 3rd overall. Wilson now sits at No. 11 on the ASP World Title Rankings.

Heitor Alves (BRA), 29, who finished equal 5th in New York, continued his giant killing spree at the Hurley Pro Trestles, defeating ASP World Title campaigners Taj Burrow (AUS), 33, and Adriano de Souza (BRA), 24, before falling to Slater in the Semifinals to earn his career best result of an equal 3rd place finish.

“Thanks God for everything in my life,” Alves said. “This is a good result for me. Adriano is a good surfer, he rips this wave and surfs very well. This is a great event for me and I enjoy this wave.”

The final Hurley Pro wildcard spot will be up for grabs right before the first heat of Round 1. The four trials finalists — who earned their spot during the Hurley Pro Trials at the US Open of Surfing — will compete in a four man heat to determine who will be awarded the final spot into the main event. The second Hurley Pro wildcard is still to be determined by Hurley.

The Australian’s win moves him to No. 2 on the ASP World Title rankings and is now within striking distance of his first ASP World Title. Slater was in deadly form on the final day of Quiksilver Pro New York competition, defeating high-flying Australian Josh Kerr and Taj Burrow, but was unable to overtake Wright’s rampaging forehand assault in the Final. 

“I just want to say thanks to everybody,” Slater said. “The swell is offshore and we almost didn’t have the contest last week and it all came together. I’m stoked for Owen to get his first win, congratulations. I’m stoked to be on the East Coast and I think we might have a surf with bravest and finest with firefighters and policemen tomorrow. Thanks to everyone at Quiksilver for an amazing week. We’ve been taken care of like never before. Thanks!”

QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK FINAL:
1 – Owen Wright (AUS) 17.90
2 – Kelly Slater (USA) 14.53

QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK SEMIFINALS RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 19.07 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 18.33
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 14.84 def. Alejo Muniz (BRA) 9.63

QUIKSILVER PRO NEW YORK QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Taj Burrow (AUS) 14.77 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 14.37
QF 2: Kelly Slater (AUS) 15.50 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 15.00
QF 3: Alejo Muniz (BRA) 12.10 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 10.10
QF 4: Owen Wright (AUS) 12.93 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.44

Slater began to really pick up steam in today’s conditions, dispatching of an in-form Josh Kerr (AUS), 27, in the Semifinals before meeting lethal goofy-footer Wright in the Finals. The iconic American utilized his superior backhand tube-riding technique to post an 18.43 heat total out of a possible 20, which would prove too much for his younger opponent to overcome.

“I felt like I finally hit my stride in the Semifinals this morning,” Slater said. “In the Final, I fell on a couple of waves that were maybe better than what I ended up getting scored on. It put the pressure on me, and took the pressure off him (Wright). He got that really big one at the end that could have gotten pretty close to the score. These are the best conditions this event has ever run in. It’s been a phenomenal week.”

Coming into Tahiti rated No. 6 on the ASP World Title rankings, Slater’s win today rockets the Floridian to the No. 1 spot after a number of top seeds suffered early eliminations at the hands of an unmerciful Teahupo’o

“It’s one of those weird events where you have to scramble through the early rounds,” Slater said. “Every year at this event, there are few of the top guys that lose in the early rounds and you have to scramble if you want a result here. You have to be in tune with the tides, swell direction and everything to make sure you get those waves that get you the score.”

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI FINAL RESULTS:
1 – Kelly Slater (USA) 18.43
2 – Owen Wright (AUS) 17.10

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 14.50 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.60
SF 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 19.50 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 14.40

BILLABONG PRO TAHITI QUARTERFINAL RESULTS:
QF 1: Josh Kerr (AUS) 11.94 def. Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.83
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.50 def. Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 6.17
QF 3: Travis Logie (ZAF) 18.07 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 17.14
QF 4: Owen Wright (AUS) 16.74 def. Raoni Monteiro (BRA) 13.10

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cme5-QcizOg

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPpaUg9ah64

In one of the most lopsided heats in recent memory, Nicol wouldn’t even catch a wave until there were less than five minutes left on the clock — and when he did finally stand up, the wave just closed out. Throughout the event, Slater had to work hard for his heat wins, finding tubes that didn’t exist and landing air rotations that he never should have landed, but Nicol more or less handed the 10-time world champ the $100,000 first-prize check. It was, in the words of Nicol, “a shocker.” The final heat score was 16.27 to 2.57 — in other words, a blowout. “I guess Yadin wanted me to win because he didn’t catch any waves,” Slater said. “I was just really frustrated for him because he was sitting out the back waiting for the big sets and the big sets were closeouts. The small ones he was just two far outside and I got them. I think what happened is I got the 8.50 to start and he was just going to be patient. If he got a good one he would have thrown a big rotator, but it just never came.”  Hoping to qualify for the world tour with a result at the Open, Nicol inched closer to his goal, but still sits on the bubble.”There are still two World Tour events to go so it doesn’t completely change my life just yet,” Nicol said of his second place finish. “It definitely helps the vibe though.”

Nike US Open of Surfing Men’s Final Result:
1. Kelly Slater (USA) 16.27
2. Yadin Nicol (AUS) 12.40Nike US Open of Surfing Men’s Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Kelly Slater (USA) 17.94 def. Dusty Payne (HAW) 14.90
SF 2: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 13.44 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.8Nike US Open of Surfing Men’s Quarterfinals Results:
QF 1: Dusty Payne (HAW) 13.93 def. Tanner Gudauskas (USA) 10.10
QF 2: Kelly Slater (USA) 15.50 def. Taj Burrow (AUS) 15.27
QF 3: Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.44 def. Dane Reynolds (USA) 10.33
QF 4: Yadin Nicol (AUS) 11.60 def. Royden Bryson (ZAF) 8.26Nike US Open of Surfing Women’s Final Result:
1. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.23
2. Lakey Peterson (USA) 12.40Nike US Open of Surfing Women’s Semifinals Results:
SF 1: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.67 def. Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.60
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 14.46 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 14.16

Pro Surfing News indicated in a previous article that Julian was “a budding surf star who had the potential to be World Champion one day.”Bart Wilson, Julian’s brother and manager said “The timing of the move couldn’t have been any better.” Wilson continued, “This is the next step in his career. “I’m not going to talk about how much the deal is worth, but it’s a 5-year deal with Nike 6.0, which is an action sport off-shoot of Nike. “It means Nike will support him on the world tour and in anything else he wants to do. He joins a Nike sporting stable which includes the likes of sporting superstars Tiger Woods, Serena Williams, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lance Armstrong.  With his iconic surfer looks and exciting surfing style, Julian is seen by many pundits as one of the rising stars in the sport.

In a statement, the 22-year-old said he was “really excited about the move”. “With where I’m at in my career right now, it seemed like the right time to make a transition and an excellent opportunity,” he said. “Nike has been pushing the direction of the sport of late and I’m really eager to be part of that movement.”

According to Sunshine Coast surfing identity and former professional Robbie Sherwell, Julian is one of the most marketable characters in the sport.  “Just look at him. He’s a good-looking young guy, he’s well grounded and has a good family background,” Mr Sherwell said. “As far as surfing goes he’s got everything going for him and as far as Nike 6.0 is concerned he could be the next world champion.” “Quiksilver have marketed him as the next Kelly Slater over the last couple of years – and he’s beaten Kelly Slater two or three times.” Bart said Julian, who is away from the Coast on a photo shoot, had enjoyed a strong relationship with former sponsor Quiksilver, but was eager to forge his career with Nike, a relative newcomer to the sport. “Julian has stepped down from using the traditional surf brands that 90% of professional surfers still use but Nike is moving in an exciting direction,” Bart said.  See the original article.

Kieren Perrow won through to the semis, pipping South African Jordy Smith 12 points to 13.  The third Australian Owen Wright lost to Jeremy Flores of France.Flores knocked out Slater in semi-final #1 and Perrow took down on American Dane Reynolds semi-final #2.  Flores came from behind to beat Australian Kieren Perrow in the final.

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Parko Wins Triple Crown!!!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9aEXw04TEI

2010 BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 1 RESULTS:

Heat 1: Adam Melling (AUS) 14.50 def. Kamalei Alexander (HAW) 11.66

Heat 2: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 6.50 def. Clay Marzo (HAW) 4.23

Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW) 14.50 def. Kai Otton (AUS) 12.20

Heat 4: Dusty Payne (HAW) 15.10 def. Kiron Jabour (HAW) 9.30

Heat 5: Ian Walsh (HAW) 13.24 def. Luke Stedman (AUS) 7.50

Heat 6: Danny Fuller (HAW) 8.57 def. Roy Powers (HAW) 7.36

Heat 7: Dave Wassell (HAW) 12.17 def. Travis Logie (ZAF) 3.63

Heat 8: Luke Munro (AUS) 13.50 def. Shane Dorian (HAW) 13.33

Heat 9: Gabe Kling (USA) 11.10 def. Kalani Chapman (HAW) 5.40

Heat 10: Rob Machado (USA) 11.37 def. Granger Larsen (HAW) 9.66

Heat 11: Heitor Alves (BRA) 8.46 def. Joel Centeio (HAW) 8.14

Heat 12: Tom Whitaker (AUS) 13.83 def. Bruce Irons (HAW) 3.33

Day 1 Highlights -- 2010 Billabong Pipe Masters

www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9aEXw04TEI

BILLABONG PIPE MASTERS ROUND 2 RESULTS:

Heat 1: John John Florence (HAW) 10.00 def. Dean Morrison (AUS) 3.03

Heat 2: Jeremy Flores (FRA) 11.70 def. Ian Walsh (HAW) 9.83

Heat 3: Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.00 def. Danny Fuller (HAW) 3.76

Heat 4: Dave Wassell (HAW) 9.33 def. Bobby Martinez (USA) 5.40

Heat 5: Taylor Knox (USA) 12.67 def. Rob Machado (USA) 10.57

Heat 6: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 10.83 def. Heitor Alves (BRA) 5.84

Heat 7: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) 13.40 def. Gabe Kling (USA) 8.53

Heat 8: Kieren Perrow (AUS) 10.27 def. Luke Munro (AUS) 4.87

Heat 9: Dusty Payne (HAW) 11.94 def. Tiago Pires (PRT) 8.83

Heat 10: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 12.16 def. Tom Whitaker (AUS) 2.70

Heat 11: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 9.47 def. Brett Simpson (USA) 2.90

Heat 12: Adam Melling (AUS) 11.67 def. Daniel Ross (AUS) 8.94

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