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Boardfolio.com >> ASP World Tour News >> Semifinalist Decided; Event Set To Conclude Tomorrow

Joel Parkinson takes on sparring partner Mick Fanning in the semi-finals of the Niijima Quiksilver Pro. Niijima Quiksilver Pro (June 18-29, 2003) www.quiksilver.com Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) www.aspworldtour.com World Championship Tour (WCT) Press Release Semifinalist Decided; Event Set To Conclude Tomorrow Sunday June 22, 2003 (Niijima Island, Japan) Semifinalists were today decided in the Niijima Quiksilver Pro. The US$250,000 World Championship Tournament (WCT) again relocated to 'Secret Point', with round four and then quarterfinals unfolding before a strong beach crowd. Organizers are confident the event will climax tomorrow. Clean 2-3 ft (0.6-1m) surf remained on offer throughout the day. Despite an overnight decrease in swell, a Foster's Expression kicked off the day's surfing action and the world's best made the small conditions appear perfect. World #2 Joel Parkinson (Gold Coast, Aus) posted the days highest scores en-route to his semifinal berth. Against former world #3 and fellow Australian Danny Wills in round four (Byron Bay), 'Parko' fought back with the best single score of the Niijima Quiksilver Pro for a 9.17 on his last wave. Then against Cory Lopez (FL, USA) in the quarterfinals, the 22-year-old bettered his score with a near-perfect 9.5 ride highlighted by an aerial maneuver at the end. While Lopez had landed an amazing aerial in round four, he wasn't able to do likewise against Parkinson. "It was the best wave to come through, so I had to make the most of it," said Parkinson of his top-scoring ride. "I almost fell doing a little bottom turn, but I caught a rail and it ended up helping me out, so I was stoked. Into the semis now and a good result. "Cory got a 7.5 for one aerial which was so sick," he added of his opponent's earlier win. "I thought he was going to pop one of those again, but the waves didn't allow. Everyone's basically being beaten by conditions and not by their opponent when it's like this. It doesn't matter who you have, you just have to get the right waves." World #5 Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, Aus) will now challenge Parkinson in an epic semifinal match-up. Fanning, who eliminated Brazil's last contender Paulo Moura in round four, then overcame six-time world champion Kelly Slater (FL, USA) in the day's last quarterfinal. The 2002 ASP 'Rookie of the Year' showed no signs of nerves against Slater, quickly establishing a lead with superior wave selection and his trademark fast surfing. "I wasn't really nervous and just treated it like any other heat," said Fanning. "I knew I needed to go out and get the right waves to win, and I did that luckily. He only caught one good one, so it worked out well. I just tried to get some further up the beach away from him and it paid off. "I haven't surfed against Joel man-on-man since the world junior championships and he beat me," he added, of the 2001 final at Philip Island, Australia. "Hopefully I'll get him back (laughs). It's going to be a good heat though and I'm pretty psyched." Slater - who only decided to contest the Niijima Quiksilver Pro at the last moment due to the foot injury he's been nursing since the Tahitian WCT - finished equal fifth. "I didn't feel in rhythm throughout the heat," acknowledged Slater. "I hyper-extended my foot on my first good wave, but basically, I'm happy with the result as I didn't even expect to surf this event and just made US$8,000." Reigning world champion Andy Irons (Kauai, Haw) showed his fighting spirit against 2001 world champion CJ Hobgood (FL, USA) in their quarterfinal. The Floridian established an early lead, but Irons answered back with a 7.83 and then with only a minute remaining paddled into a long lefthander and proceeded to work it over on his backhand for an 8.03 to advance. He'll now face ratings #3 Kieren Perrow (Byron Bay, Aus) in the first semifinal. "At the beginning of the heat CJ got two good waves within the first minute, so I was pretty frustrated," began Irons. "I was a bit jittery on my first few waves, but toward the end I got some. A wave wedged up right in front of me with a minute left. I did a couple of straight up turns and whitewater floaters and got an eight. It was a nail-biter for sure. CJ's really good in these conditions, so I knew he was going to be hard to beat. "Anything from now is just a bonus," he added. "I'm really stoked to be in the semis. Kieren's such a (wave) magnet though. He's so hard to beat. In conditions where there aren't a lot of waves, he's one of the guys who'll get the bombs every time. I'm just going to have to surf really smart, cause he's a very good competitor." Perrow, 26, overcame fellow Australians Michael Campbell (Port Macquarie) and world #6 Michael Lowe (Windang) today. Against Lowe he waited for more than 10-minutes for his first ride, but patience paid off as the heat's biggest wave emerged and he posted an 8.5. He then locked in a 7.17 on his final ride to leave his opponent requiring a perfect 10 to catch up. "I guess my tactics paid off," reasoned Perrow. "I waited a long time, but my first wave was really good. I was starting to get a little stressed with 15-minutes to go, but you've got to be patient out here cause there are sets coming in. I was a bit nervous on that first wave as I didn't want to muck it up, but then I relaxed and felt comfortable. Just got to make one more heat now (laughs)." The Foster's Expression earlier today showcased eight of the world's best prior to round four. Mick Fanning (Gold Coast, Aus) collected US$2,000 for the Best Wave with a series of fast forehand snaps, and world champ Andy Irons (Kauai, Haw) earned a cool US$1,000 for his backhand aerial reverse. "I dropped in on Kieren (Perrow) that wave, so I figured I better do something good on it," said Fanning of the winning ride. "I'm stoked that Foster's put on the money for us and it was good to get out there and practice." Due to the remote location no live webcasting, scores or audio was available. Organizers are hopeful of finishing the Niijima Quiksilver Pro tomorrow morning, with a 5am (local time) decision the 2003 event possibly climaxing soon after.

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