UPSET ALERT: Jordy Smith stunned at J-Bay
The loss saw Smith relinquish the Yellow Leader Jersey, as the field narrows heading into finals day.
The Corona Cero Open J-Bay, stop number 10 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, continued in three- to five-foot Supertubes conditions.
However, a fading swell prompted organisers to call off competition for Monday, 14 and Tuesday, 15 July.
The next call will be made on Wednesday, 16 July at 07:45 for a possible 08:03 start.
French rookie Marco Mignot shocked the local crowd as he outmanoeuvred Smith in tricky conditions, advancing to his second quarter-final appearance on the Championship Tour.
While Smith waited for a set wave that never arrived, Mignot stayed busy, racking up a solid scoreline and leaving Smith needing a near-excellent wave in the dying moments.
'If you take on No 1 and beat him, it's a bigger reward,' said Mignot.
'I always want to surf against the best and push myself. Before coming here, I was watching clips of Jordy, because I think he's the best out here.'
On Monday Jordy Smith took to social media to write: 'Didn't go the way we wanted but I am so grateful for all the support that has been poured into me this last week. Really appreciate every single one of you guys. The show must go on and so we continue to show up and keep swinging 💪🏼'
Meanwhile, Griffin Colapinto (USA) got revenge on compatriot Cole Houshmand in their Round of 16 rematch, just a week after facing each other in the final of the VIVO Rio Pro.
Colapinto controlled the heat early and sealed it with a 7.50 ride, thanks to powerful turns and clean carves down a J-Bay wall.
'This one matters because I want to make the Final 5,' said Colapinto.
'He's like a big brother to me, but I'm in that position now where every heat is important.'
Brazil's Yago Dora, now the new world No 1, continued his charge at J-Bay.
After breaking the fin on his favourite board in his heat against compatriot João Chianca, Dora changed equipment and responded with a huge aerial move that scored an excellent 9.00, securing the win.
'I didn't want to change boards, so I just changed the fin,' said Dora.
'There was a long lull, and I tried to stay patient. The second-best feeling in surfing is flying through the air and landing in the flats. It's scary, but when you pull it off, it feels so good.'
Although Dora now holds the Yellow Jersey, Japan's Kanoa Igarashi remains in contention for the top spot after also advancing.
Heat 1: Yago Dora (BRA) 14.57 defeated João Chianca (BRA) 13.67Heat 2: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.34 defeated Jack Robinson (AUS) 9.76Heat 3: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.50 defeated Crosby Colapinto (USA) 9.33Heat 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.37 defeated Cole Houshmand (USA) 12.57
Heat 5: Marco Mignot (FRA) 14.57 defeated Jordy Smith (RSA) 11.17 Heat 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.97 defeated Barron Mamiya (HAW) 10.60Heat 7: Connor O'Leary (JPN) 12.83 defeated Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.33
Heat 8: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.00 defeated Jake Marshall (USA) 10.00
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The South African
2 days ago
- The South African
UPSET ALERT: Jordy Smith stunned at J-Bay
South Africa's world No 1 surfer Jordy Smith was eliminated from the Corona Cero Open J-Bay on Sunday in the Round of 16. The loss saw Smith relinquish the Yellow Leader Jersey, as the field narrows heading into finals day. The Corona Cero Open J-Bay, stop number 10 on the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour, continued in three- to five-foot Supertubes conditions. However, a fading swell prompted organisers to call off competition for Monday, 14 and Tuesday, 15 July. The next call will be made on Wednesday, 16 July at 07:45 for a possible 08:03 start. French rookie Marco Mignot shocked the local crowd as he outmanoeuvred Smith in tricky conditions, advancing to his second quarter-final appearance on the Championship Tour. While Smith waited for a set wave that never arrived, Mignot stayed busy, racking up a solid scoreline and leaving Smith needing a near-excellent wave in the dying moments. 'If you take on No 1 and beat him, it's a bigger reward,' said Mignot. 'I always want to surf against the best and push myself. Before coming here, I was watching clips of Jordy, because I think he's the best out here.' On Monday Jordy Smith took to social media to write: 'Didn't go the way we wanted but I am so grateful for all the support that has been poured into me this last week. Really appreciate every single one of you guys. The show must go on and so we continue to show up and keep swinging 💪🏼' Meanwhile, Griffin Colapinto (USA) got revenge on compatriot Cole Houshmand in their Round of 16 rematch, just a week after facing each other in the final of the VIVO Rio Pro. Colapinto controlled the heat early and sealed it with a 7.50 ride, thanks to powerful turns and clean carves down a J-Bay wall. 'This one matters because I want to make the Final 5,' said Colapinto. 'He's like a big brother to me, but I'm in that position now where every heat is important.' Brazil's Yago Dora, now the new world No 1, continued his charge at J-Bay. After breaking the fin on his favourite board in his heat against compatriot João Chianca, Dora changed equipment and responded with a huge aerial move that scored an excellent 9.00, securing the win. 'I didn't want to change boards, so I just changed the fin,' said Dora. 'There was a long lull, and I tried to stay patient. The second-best feeling in surfing is flying through the air and landing in the flats. It's scary, but when you pull it off, it feels so good.' Although Dora now holds the Yellow Jersey, Japan's Kanoa Igarashi remains in contention for the top spot after also advancing. Heat 1: Yago Dora (BRA) 14.57 defeated João Chianca (BRA) 13.67Heat 2: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.34 defeated Jack Robinson (AUS) 9.76Heat 3: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.50 defeated Crosby Colapinto (USA) 9.33Heat 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.37 defeated Cole Houshmand (USA) 12.57 Heat 5: Marco Mignot (FRA) 14.57 defeated Jordy Smith (RSA) 11.17 Heat 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.97 defeated Barron Mamiya (HAW) 10.60Heat 7: Connor O'Leary (JPN) 12.83 defeated Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.33 Heat 8: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.00 defeated Jake Marshall (USA) 10.00
The Herald
2 days ago
- The Herald
SA's Jordy Smith eliminated by rookie in J-Bay
Rookie Frenchman Marco Mignot delivered a devastating blow, taking out world No 1 Jordy Smith in front of his home crowd and stripping him of the yellow leader jersey in the Corona Cero Open J-Bay on Sunday. The event continued on Sunday to complete the men's round of 16 with three-to-five foot lines rolling through at Supertubes. With a dissipating swell, conditions slowed down throughout the morning, and organisers decided not to run the women's quarterfinals on Sunday. The competition has been called off for Monday and Tuesday, and the next call will be made on Wednesday at 7.45am for a possible 8.03am start. On Sunday, Mignot stayed busy building a solid score, while Smith opted to wait for a bigger set wave, which never arrived. Smith left it too late, needing a near-excellent score in the dying minutes, and Mignot advanced to his second quarterfinal appearance on the Champions Tour (CT). 'If you take on No 1, and you beat him, it's a bigger reward,' Mignot said. 'I always want to surf against the best and push myself. These moments are special, to share them with Jordy, the king of J-Bay, but I'm super happy to take the win. 'Before coming here, I was watching clips of Jordy, because I think he's the best out here.' Drawing each other again but on a different continent, Americans Griffin Colapinto and Cole Houshmand got a rematch in Supertubes after facing each other in the final of the VIVO Rio Pro just over a week ago. Colapinto got to work quickly to build a score, and shut it down with a 7.50 (out of a possible 10) for his powerful turns and drawn-out carves on a big J-Bay wall. Coming under pressure from João Chianca (BRA) in the first heat of the round of 16, world No 2 Yago Dora (BRA) started on the back foot. A quick equipment change saw a shift in momentum as Dora knew he had to get a big score on the board. Relying on his aerial prowess, Dora raced down the line, launching himself into the golden light of the morning and navigating the landing for an excellent 9.00. 'I broke the tip of my fin, and that was my magic board,' Dora said. 'I didn't want to change boards, so I just caught a wave in to change the fin. 'There was a long lull, so I tried to stay patient and wait for an opportunity. It was a weird wave, so I knew I would have to go big again. 'The second best feeling in surfing is flying through the air and landing in the flats, it's so scary, so when you pull it off, it feels so good.' With Smith knocked out of the event, Dora has moved into the No 1 position, but Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) can still challenge him for the yellow leader jersey in J-Bay as both advanced to the quarterfinals. — World Surf League
The Citizen
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Tadej Pogacar loses key helper
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