U.S. Open of Surfing: Kelly Slater advances to men’s final against Yadin Nicol
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With one of the best performances of the competition, Kelly Slater advanced into the men’s final at the Nike U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.
The 10-time world champion used a backside rotation with big hang time to post an astronomical 9.77 on one of his last waves. It took the judges less than a minute to score his run, and shortly thereafter, Slater had blown away Dusty Pain in the semifinals.
In the other men’s semifinal, San Clemente’s Kolohe Andino narrowly missed a comeback victory over Yadin Nicol when his second-to-last run came up a fraction of a point short of vaulting him into the lead. Nicol won with a two-wave total of 13.44, slipping past Andino, who had 12.87. The men’s final will take place at 2:11 p.m.
The women’s final is now set to begin with Santa Barbara native Lakey Peterson ready to face Australian Sally Fitzgibbons. Fitzgibbons is the second-ranked women’s surfer in the world, but Peterson knocked out No. 1 Carissa Moore in the semis.
Also across the beach, Tony Hawk is preparing to compete in the Converse Costal Carnage skateboarding finals. The event will allow 15 skaters to show off their stuff in a giant blue bowl.
RELATED:
Filipe Toledo captures the U.S. Open of Surfing men’s junior championship
Lakey Peterson of Santa Barbara is the junior women’s surfing champ
Photos: The Nike U.S. Open of Surfing in Surf City USA
--Matt Stevens
