TONIC | NEWS
Carissa Moore
2015 QUIKSILVER & ROXY PRO’S
PRESENTED BY BANK OF QUEENSLAND
HAVING STOOD OUT AS ONE OF THE TOP PERFORMERS
IN EVERY ROUND OF THE QUIKSILVER PRO GOLD COAST,
BRAZILIAN FILIPE TOLEDO'S PERFORMANCE AT SNAPPER
ROCKS CULMINATED WITH THE FIRST CHAMPIONSHIP
TOUR (CT) EVENT WIN OF HIS CAREER. TOLEDO TOOK DOWN
STUNTMAN JULIAN WILSON (AUS) IN THE FINAL WITH A
NEAR-PERFECT HEAT TOTAL OF 19.60 OUT OF 20.
an aggressive backhand approach. Undeterred, Wilson punted
a no-grab, full-rotation air to get himself back in the heat with the
crowd erupting on the beach. Needing a solid backup score, with
less than a minute to go he found a wave and threw another airreverse. Pupo carved up the last wave of the heat, but when the
scores came in -- as both surfers anxiously waited on the beach -it was Wilson who emerged triumphant, and headed to the Final.
The day started with the Quarterfinals, and after a slow start
to the round, Julian Wilson (AUS) used his new-school skills
to light up Snapper during Quarterfinal 2. Up against Tour vet
Taj Burrow (AUS), Wilson took off on a bomb. He used a mix
of floaters, cutbacks and fins-free hacks to earn a 9.77 on his
opening ride. Burrow went for a layback hack on his answer but
was unable to finish cleanly. Wilson backed up his first wave with
a 7.67, earning his Semifinal spot with conviction.
Toledo, as expected, followed suit in the second Semifinal heat,
taking to the air twice on his opening ride. But it was his finetuned "club sandwich" that took him into the nine-point range.
It was obvious from there that the Final would be a battle of
progression from two of the Tour's biggest pioneers.
Filipe Toledo (BRA), who came into the event ranked No. 17 in
the world, continued to impress judges. He broke out his air
game and technical rail work to put Bede Durbidge (AUS) on his
heels early. Durbidge answered back with fierce, fins-free turns
but Toledo upped the ante again, this time with two dramatic
laybacks that scored him a near-perfect 9.67. It was enough for
the lead and a win that would send him to a Semifinal matchup
with Adriano de Souza (BRA).
Toledo drew first blood with a speedy drive down the line with
a wrapping cutback and a powerful rotation finish, earning an
excellent-range score. He locked in a solid backup for a dramatic
layback and had Wilson comboed in the first 10 minutes. Wilson
answered with an exaggerated blow-tail carve but faltered on the
closeout, keeping his score low. His next attempt showcased his
signature air reverse for a 9.10, but Toledo bettered his scoreline
again with a 9.60, forcing Wilson to continue to search for an
excellent-range score. But the Brazilian had more in the tank,
boosting for a nose-pick rotation for a second nine-point ride
and Perfect 10 to cap off a perfect run and the Quik Pro title.
Wilson struggled in the first Semifinal heat, falling behind
Miguel Pupo (BRA) after the Brazilian locked in two big scores for
6 – AUTUMN ISSUE
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