Jordy Smith defeats Adrian Buchan to advance to Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay final
The first semi-final of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, the fourth of the eleven stops on this year’s Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) World Tour, went down at the coastline of Jeffreys Bay in South Africa on Sunday, July 24.
South Africa’s Jordy Smith remained unstoppable in his battle against Australia’s in-form Adrian Buchan and secured a comfortable win over his rival to clinch a spot in the final.
The 23-year-old South African was proving to be quite a formidable force over the last few months, moving to the fifth place in the ASP World Title rankings through consistent performances. The current stop of the tour saw Smith keeping the momentum going
with one excellent performance after another to gradually make his way to the semi-finals.
Buchan had been making a real solid impact in the event as well so far. Of the many obstacles that he had managed to overcome over the last few days, the most notable was his two consecutive victories over his compatriot and ASP World Tour rookie, Julian
Wilson.
Soaring with confidence after excellent quarter-final performances, both the surfers seemed more than ready to face each other in the crucial semi-final stage.
Utilizing his local knowledge of the waves, Smith caught a real promising wave early in the heat to throw down a combination of exquisite manoeuvres and ended up collecting a 9.63 for the effort. After another few minutes of patient hunting, the young South
African scored a 7.83 off his second business-wave and climbed to a heat-total of 17.46 points.
Halfway through the heat, Buchan collected a 6.00-point wave and later added an additional 5.87 points to his account to finish with a heat-total of 11.87 points. The unimpressive effort allowed Smith to go through to the finals to defend his title.
During his post-heat interview, Buchan said, “I missed a good one at the start and that really let Jordy (Smith) get on top early in the heat. I always felt like I could come back but it just didn’t happen for me. It’s still an excellent result for me and
I’m excited about the next few events.”
With his current form and the support of the local crowd behind him, it seemed that Smith was well on his way to earn his first elite victory. However, neither of his two possible rivals in the finals, Australia’s Joel Parkinson and Mick Fanning, was expected
to let him take the title without putting up a tough fight.
For updates on the second semi-final of Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay, stay tuned to bettor.com.
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