In a see-saw Quarterfinal battle at the Billabong Pro Cascais, Brazilian surfer Jesse Mendes pulled a huge air, retook the lead and made the Semis at the last minute. His win was a huge coup after an intense battle against fellow Qualifying Series warrior Joan Duru who, like Mendes, is chasing a place on the elite Championship Tour in 2017.
Jesse, however, has a little longer of a road to go: He arrived in Cascais ranked well below the cutoff line, but this result should give him a fighting chance. Duru, in contrast, is already near the top of the QS leaderboard, and has been working this week to stay there.