Frenchy Gordon Fontaine has taken his first ever ASP title at the O’Neill Cordoama Pro, posting some strong scores on his way to the final.

Gordon Fontaine (Brittany, FRA), 20, has won the ASP World Qualifying Series (WQS) 1-Star O’Neill Pro Cordoama Pro pres. by Nissan in Portugal today, the Frenchman besting fellow finalists Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU), Eduardo Fernandes (PRT) and Luka Guichard (DEN) to claim his maiden ASP title. Fontaine, who was a standout throughout the three-day event, managed to find his way through the Quarterfinals and Semifinals finishing his run with good 13.50 point heat score out of a possible 20.

Fontaine, a longtime ASP European Junior tour contender, was at ease in the three foot (one meter) waves on offer during the event, posting several high scores en route to the final. With great determination and heat tactics, Fontaine finished on top of 64-man field led by many of Europe’s best rising competitors.

“I am so stoked, I don’t really realize I’ve won the thing,” Fontaine said. “I haven’t won an event in years and to get this one is really special. It was my first WQS final and to win it makes it just the perfect ending!”

With significant points counting for the ASP European WQS ratings and great confidence for his summer start, Fontaine will be looking to confirming his stellar start and build on his performance, a premiere in his young career.

“My focus this year remains the ASP European Junior tour as I want to qualify for the ASP World Junior Championships (WJC) and it means a Top 4 finish this year,” Fontaine said. “I surfed relaxed throughout the event after my Round 1 loss in the Pro Junior event at the beginning of the week and it worked out pretty well so I will try and approach the next events the same way.”

ASP WQS 1-STAR O’NEILL PRO CORDOAMA RESULTS
FINAL
1st, Gordon Fontaine (FRA) 13.50 pts
2nd, Nicolau Von Rupp (DEu) 11.83 pts
3rd, Eduardo Fernandes (PRT) 11.53 pts
4th, Luka Guichard (DEN) 9.80 pts

SEMIFINALS
Heat 1: Gordon Fontaine (FRA) 15.50 pts, Luka Guichard (DEN) 13.10 pts, Jatyr Berasaluce (EUK) 11.73 pts, Damien Chaudoy (REU) 7.88 pts
Heat 2: Eduardo Fernandes (PRT) 12.70 pts, Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU) 12.07 pts, Abdel El Harim (MAR) 12.00 pts, Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 8.43 pts

QUARTERFINALS
Heat 1: Damien Chaudoy (REU) 14.40 pts, Jatyr Berasaluce (EUK) 13.50 pts, Borja Agote (EUK) 11.50 pts, Alexandre Ferreira (PRT) 7.60 pts
Heat 2: Luka Guichard (DEN) 13.17 pts, Gordon Fontaine (FRA) 12.47 pts, Miguel Ximenez (PRT) 9.47 pts, David Luis (PRT) 5.40 pts
Heat 3: Eduardo Fernandes (PRT) 11.96 pts, Abdel El Harim (MAR) 11.63 pts, Miguel Mouzinho (PRT) 11.27 pts, Freddie Meadows (SWE) 10.13 pts
Heat 4: Pierre-Valentin Laborde (FRA) 16.33 pts, Nicolau Von Rupp (DEU) 11.06 pts, Mario Azurza (EUK) 7.44 pts, Mohamed Berrada (MAR) 4.93 pts

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JEFFREYS BAY, South Africa (Monday, July 13, 2009) – The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will commence this morning at 7:30am in clean three-to-five (1.5 metre) surf at South Africa’s iconic pointbreak.

Stop No. 5 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, the Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay has seen the ASP Top 45 survive through four consecutive lay days, but today’s improved conditions will have the world’s best surfers in the water.

“We’ve got the ning of what could turn into a really good day of waves out there this morning and we’ll be getting underway at 7:30am,” Mike Parsons, Billabong Pro Contest Director, said. “Recent swell projections have prompted us to activate the new competition format so we can make the most of the conditions on offer, but we will not be running the dual-heat tem today.”

The new ASP competition format will see man-on-man, elimination heats from the outset of competition this morning, resulting in a day of dramatic match-ups.

First up this morning with be 2009 ASP Dream Tour rookie Tim Boal (FRA), 26, up against compatriot Michael Picon (FRA), 30.

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay will be web LIVE via www.billabongpro.com

For more information, log onto www.aspworldtour.com

The Billabong Pro Jeffreys Bay can also be followed via your mobile phone. Anyone with a 3G or GPRS enabled phone can log onto asptogo.com from their mobile browser. Content is updated real time as per the web – event status, results, live scores, news, photos and video highlights along with ASP World Tour ratings tables.

For more information go to http://aspworldtour.com/2009/aspmobile.asp

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Tim Boal (FRA) vs. Michael Picon (FRA)
Heat 2: Jay Thompson (AUS) vs. Nathaniel Curran (USA)
Heat 3: Josh Kerr (AUS) vs. Nic Muscroft (AUS)
Heat 4: Kai Otton (AUS) vs. Phillip MacDonald (AUS)
Heat 5: Dean Morrison (AUS) vs. Marlon Lipke (DEU)
Heat 6: Chris Ward (USA) vs. Torrey Meister (HAW)
Heat 7: Dustin Barca (HAW) vs. Sean Holmes (ZAF)
Heat 8: Kekoa Bacalso (HAW) vs. Ryan Payne (ZAF)
Heat 9: Tim Reyes (USA) vs. Devyn Mattheys (ZAF)
Heat 10: Dayyan Neve (AUS) vs. Heath Joske (AUS)
Heat 11: Heitor Alves (BRA) vs. Greg Emslie (ZAF)
Heat 12: Chris Davidson (AUS) vs. David Weare (ZAF)
Heat 13: Aritz Aranburu (EUK) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Heat 14: Jihad Khodr (BRA) vs. Roy Powers (HAW)
Heat 15: Tiago Pires (PRT) vs. Ben Dunn (AUS)
Heat 16: Dane Reynolds (USA) vs. Drew Courtney (AUS)

BILLABONG PRO JEFFREYS BAY ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: C.J. Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 2: Fredrick Patacchia (HAW) vs. TBA
Heat 3: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. TBA
Heat 4: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. TBA
Heat 5: Bobby Martinez (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 6: Tom Whitaker (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 7: Kieren Perrow (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 9: Taj Burrow (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 10: Mick Campbell (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 11: Mick Fanning (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. TBA
Heat 13: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 14: Taylor Knox (USA) vs. TBA
Heat 15: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. TBA
Heat 16: Damien Hobgood (USA) vs. TBA

original story from ASP

Maresia Surf International

ASP Men’s 6 star WQS event
ASP Men’s South America Pro Tour Stop #4
Praia Mole, Florianópolis, Brazil
7 – 12 July 2009

Florianopolis, Santa Catarina — The young Brazilian Gabriel Medina (15) has taken out the win at the 2009 Maresia Surf International at Mole Beach on Florianopolis today, defeating Brazilian veteran Neco Padaratz (32) after putting on an amazing display of frontside attack surfing and big aerials.

The young Brazilian with only fifteen years old walked away with US$20,000 in prize money and 2,500 ASP WQS ratings points for the win, and became the youngest surfer ever to win a WQS event. With a heat score of 15.83 out of a possible 20, Medina proved the surfer of the event and deservedly took the title of Maresia Surf International.

In a beatiful sunny day and messy three-to-four foot conditions waves, the Brazilian goofy-footer was in amazing form, blasting some vertical maneuvers and big aerials on his way to victory. Medina officially announced his intentions when he logged a 7.50 to take early lead. Neco quickly answered back with a 5.50 and a 6.50 with solid backhand attack.

Remaining five minutes to go, Medina arrived back in the lineup he found himself sitting directly in the path of a long left. Medina squared up and went vertically up the face to smash a huge re-entry, racing down the line and with two additional turns secure a high score of 8.33 points out of a possible 10 and leave Neco needing a 9.33 score to win.

With no waves coming Neco was unable to found a high score, and Medina was crowned the 2009 Maresia Surf International Champion. “I’m really happy to have won this event here at Mole Beach” said the winner after spraying the crowd with champagne.

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