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Cape Town - South Africa’s Jordy Smith placed fifth as Kelly Slater successfully defended his Volcom Fiji Pro title in pumping two to three metre waves at Cloudbreak - and catapulted himself into the No 1 spot on the ASP World Championship Tour (WCT) rankings.
Smith could not match the incredible tube-riding skills of Hawaiian standout John John Florence, 20, in the first of the quarter-finals.
Opening his account with a near perfect 9.13 out of 10, Florence went on to post his second perfect 10-point ride of the event at the end of the heat, leaving Smith needing to improve on both his counting scores of 7.27 and 6.40.
His fifth place finish earned Smith $14 500 (R145 000) and 5 200 invaluable points which saw him jump two places up the ASP WCT rankings to No 3 and right into contention for the 2013 ASP World title with four of the 10 events completed.
“I’m happy with that result,” said Smith of his fifth place finish.
“It’s still a long year ahead but I’m feeling confident and my equipment is going great.”
Event winner Slater started his Wednesday with two perfect 10-point rides in the quarter-final against Sebastian Zietz.
It was just the fourth perfect 20-point score in Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) history, and the second of the 41-year-old's storied career.
Slater posted a near-perfect score of 19.8 in the decider, which came after his opponent Mick Fanning from Australia started proceedings with a credible 9.2-point ride.
The next stop on the ASP WCT will be the Oakley Pro Bali, which holds a waiting period from June 18-29, 2013.
Smith could not match the incredible tube-riding skills of Hawaiian standout John John Florence, 20, in the first of the quarter-finals.
Opening his account with a near perfect 9.13 out of 10, Florence went on to post his second perfect 10-point ride of the event at the end of the heat, leaving Smith needing to improve on both his counting scores of 7.27 and 6.40.
His fifth place finish earned Smith $14 500 (R145 000) and 5 200 invaluable points which saw him jump two places up the ASP WCT rankings to No 3 and right into contention for the 2013 ASP World title with four of the 10 events completed.
“I’m happy with that result,” said Smith of his fifth place finish.
“It’s still a long year ahead but I’m feeling confident and my equipment is going great.”
Event winner Slater started his Wednesday with two perfect 10-point rides in the quarter-final against Sebastian Zietz.
It was just the fourth perfect 20-point score in Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) history, and the second of the 41-year-old's storied career.
Slater posted a near-perfect score of 19.8 in the decider, which came after his opponent Mick Fanning from Australia started proceedings with a credible 9.2-point ride.
The next stop on the ASP WCT will be the Oakley Pro Bali, which holds a waiting period from June 18-29, 2013.
