We’re down to the business end at Trestles, and whether you agree with the way they arrived here or not, only four surfers remain a chance of being sprayed victoriously in the face with a cold Corona. Before that glorious moment, though, they’ll need to book their place in the final, and with some of the most in-form guys of the event left on either side of the draw, Tracks takes a look at what each surfer could bring to their bout.
Semi Final 1 – Jordy Smith vs. Filipe Toledo
The officials mustn’t have been paying attention at the weigh-in for this one, because there’s almost thirty kilos between the colossal Jordy Smith and the compact Filipe Toledo. Not that you’d pick it from the way Jordy’s surfing. Smooth, fast, impressively light-footed, with hidden reserves of power that’ve been coming out at just the right moments—it’s been a formidable performance from the big guy, especially considering the waves have barely gotten over shoulder-high. Such is the talent of the super-sized South African, which is a factor that’s never really been disputed, but what seems to be the difference between a good contest for Jordy and a frustrating one usually comes down to momentum, and it appears he’s got plenty of it right now. In fact, he probably stands a far greater chance of knocking out Filipe than a lot people are giving him, and if he can keep his heat-winning head on and continue to jab and weave down the line before unloading those big, powerful tail-slides in the pocket, then that’s exactly what he could do.
For Filipe, on the other hand, this is his event to lose. The ultra-quick Brazilian has dominated every heat he’s surfed, and except for yesterday’s clash against Slater, he’s done it without resorting to his unrivalled air game. Easily the fastest surfer on tour these days, the kid has been schooling everyone with a combination of savvy wave selection and full-throttle rail-work, and his Round 3 win over fellow countryman Caio Ibelli was arguably the best surfed heat of the event so far. Against Jordy he’ll need to bring his airs into play, and also keep the big fella off the largest and best waves so as to deprive him of his favoured canvas, but if he does that then the guy many are calling the best small-wave surfer in the world should live up to his name and take the win.
Tanner Gudauskas vs. Joel Parkinson
Whether you agree with Tanner getting the nod over Gabby or not, it’s hard to dispute that the local boy and stoke-fuelled trials-winner hasn’t been ripping throughout the course of the event. Yet to lose a heat, Tanner’s been relying on a life time of local knowledge to consistently put himself on the best waves before following it up with a flurry of high-scoring backhand belts on the rights and some impressive fin-throws and laybacks on the lefts. It’s been an energetic run through the draw, and with so many good vibes around him and so much on-beach support, the kid has to go into his clash against Parko as an unlikely favourite.
At this stage of the game, despite the fact he’s the sole remaining world champ in the event, Parko looks the least likely to take the win. He’s had some good heats, like his convincing Round 1 victory over Mick and Jaddy, but he’s also been falling at times and has uncharacteristically failed to capitilize on his traditional bull-out-of-the-gates approach. Still, he’ll bring a wealth of contest-winning experience to his clash against Tanner, and if the faces are clean and there’s any kind of push in the waves, he could easily find himself in his first final since 2014.
