Young guns prevail at the Fiji Pro 2014

Gabriel Medina, Kolohe Andino, Nat Young and Michel Bourez are in the semifinals of the Fiji Pro 2014.

It was an intense day of action, at Cloudbreak, getting the most of the three-to-five foot (1 - 1.5 metre) surf on offer in Tavarua. Mick Fanning and Kelly Slater fell in the quarterfinals.

In one of the most exciting heats of the season, standout Michel Bourez met Kelly Slater. Bourez was the first to register a noteworthy score and back it up. Slater was left with low scores and swapped surfboards in the hopes of bridging the score gap, but he was unable to find the scores needed. Bourez becomes only the fifth person ever to beat Slater in a man-on-man heat at Cloudbreak.

"I thought Kelly would win and when I knew that I was going to surf against him, I was really excited. To have a chance to surf against the best guy out here is a chance for me," says Michel Bourez.

Nat Young busy chose some medium sized waves to take the lead while Fanning waited until the 18-minute mark before posting any scores. The Californian extended his lead and Fanning tried to fight back, but was unable to the find the waves he needed. Young moves ahead to the semifinals where he will face Bourez.
"The goal is to win the Final but you've to take it heat-by-heat. I'm stoked that I get to surf on the final day tomorrow in the Semifinals, and I hope the waves will be fun," says Young.

John John Florence and Gabriel Medina faced off in inconsistent conditions at Cloudbreak in the third Quarterfinal. The Hawaiian got on the board first, connecting a series of backhand turns. Medina waited nearly 10 minutes to find his first ride but the Brazilian soon found his rhythm, adding a 7.37 to leave Florence searching for a score that never came.

"I felt good and John John is always a tough guy to beat. We've already had some good battles with each other and he's one of my favorite surfers, so that felt good. It's always good to be up there at the top of the ratings and this was a good result but I'm focused on my surfing and having fun," explains Medina.

Fiji Pro 2014 Quarterfinal Results:
Quarterfinal 1: Nat Young (USA) 14.27 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 7.50
Quarterfinal 2: Michel Bourez (PYF) 13.33 def. Kelly Slater (USA) 8.90
Quarterfinal 3: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 14.20 def. John John Florence (HAW) 6.34
Quarterfinal 4: Kolohe Andino (USA) 18.36 def. Adriano de Souza (BRA) 11.93

Fiji Pro 2014 Semifinal Match-ups:

Semifinal 1: Nat Young (USA) vs. Michel Bourez (PYF)
Semifinal 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)

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