It’s been an eventful week at Trestles. With so much uproar and online condemnation surrounding the judges and their somewhat questionable decisions in rounds 2 and 3, you could be forgiven for forgetting that things have been rolling steadily onwards, with competition now just three heats away from crowning a champ. And while today’s action isn’t going to light up social media in the same way that previous days have, there was still enough good surfing and tightly-contested match-ups to make it worthy of breaking down and picking apart.
Things got started in Round 5, with the second deadliest trials winner in the draw, Brett Simpson, easily getting the better of Michel Bourez with an approach that was more radical and consistent than anything the Spartan could muster. Following that, Kelly squeezed past Kolohe in what could be considered another contentious decision, with the local boy losing out despite showing superior speed and flair. Stu Kennedy then took down Kerrsy at his own game, boosting inspired rotations on each of his scoring rides while Kerrsy failed to find any rhythm in the bumpy afternoon peaks. The final ticket to the quarters went to Parko, who didn’t look great but nonetheless dispatched of Jadson by stringing together a number of long, rail-oriented rights.
Jordy Smith continued his roll in Quarter One, with the big fella having put together arguably his best performance of the year so far throughout this event, showing an uncanny ability to surf fast and light on the small Trestles walls as he shut the gate on Simpo’s dream run through the draw. It was clinical Jordy from start to finish, as he drifted across the tricky sections before unloading a number of beautifully timed belts and slides on each of his best rides. If he can keep the same kind of momentum going in the semis, then don’t be surprised to see him claim the second Trestles title of his career.
Filipe vs. Kelly was the heat of the day, with the ultra-quick Brazilian eventually proving too much for his forty-four-year-old counterpart, but the champ didn’t go down without a fight. Looking revived and more in tune with his equipment than he’s appeared all year, Kelly stuck to the same powerful and precise formula that’s won him more trophies at Lowers than any other surfer, throwing buckets on a number of big turns as he tried to keep up with Filly Boy’s new-school attack. In the end, though, Filipe did what he was always going to do on the two-foot, onshore rights, linking together his sharp brand of rail-work with the kind of rotations he’s become synonymous with.
‘He’s going to smoke ninety-nine percent of guys he surfs against in waves like this,’ Slater told Rosy afterwards, pointing to Filipe as the guy to beat.
The man inadvertently at the centre of the latest, greatest online furore in world surfing, Tanner Gudauskas, continued his tear through the draw, easily disposing of an out of sync Stu Kennedy in Quarter Three. Sticking to the same formula that’s got him through every one of his match-ups so far, Tanner picked off the best waves of the heat and belted them senselessly on the way to a comfortable win. He’ll face Joel Parkinson in Semi Two when competition resumes, after Parko ended the impressive run of perennial easybeat Alex Ribeiro, who finally broke his early round hoodoo with his performance in this event.
