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Nat Young Wins In Morocco
Nicolas Leroy
The first-ever QS5,000 Pro Taghazout Bay wrapped in spectacular fashion today with pristine conditions at Anchor Point and incredible action in the lineup.
Nat Young absolutely dominated finals day from the get go, dropping two 8s to send World No.6 Kanoa Igarashi packing in their Quarterfinal matchup.
He continued in the Semis and beat Vasco Ribeiro with another excellent couple of waves and came into the Final fired up. The Californian dropped the hammer on his first wave with a near-perfect 9.67 and pretty much ran away with the win right there and then. He did drop another couple of 8+ rides just for good measure and came in an undisputed victor in Morocco, chaired up under euphoric screams from the local crowds.
"I'm super happy to start the year like that," he said. "Honestly just being here in Morocco for the first time and getting to surf waves like that for a contest is all you can ask for. I think in the quarters it was just us two goofy foots and all regulars. I think that wave really suits us on our backhand, and we also both probably surf waves similar to this a lot."
Alonso Correa had a slower start on Finals day but managed to edge out Shane Sykes in the Quarters before blowing up in the Semis to defeat former World No. 14 Frederico Morais with an incredible last two waves of 9.60 and 8.73.
He gave Young a good run for his money in the Final, answering to his opening ride with a 9 of his own. He multiplied tries but eventually couldn't find the 9.25 required and had to settle for second. Correa's runner-up and 4,000 points represent his biggest result to date as the Peruvian launches his fifth full qualifying campaign on the QS.
"It was an amazing place to compete and I'm super happy with a Final," he said. "Both Anza and Anchor are awesome waves to compete on and I'm really happy I came. Surfing this type of wave is what we live for, so it's amazing to have a contest on it."
The two semifinalists could have easily been in the Final as well, as Portugal's Vasco Ribeiro and Frederico Morais have been groomed on the long righthand point breaks of their home country.
Both powerful, regular footers, the pair looked unstoppable until the Semis where they met their executioners. For Ribeiro, the excellent result in Taghazout will come as a confidence boost before he launches another qualifying effort.
"It's been a couple of years since I heard this was going to happen and I'm so thankful to the WSL for putting this event on," he said. "It's by far one of the best comps of the year and I'm happy to start by making a few heats. We have similar waves in Portugal and I'm super comfortable in those conditions."
Morais on the other hand, did the job with a huge back-end of the year in 2019 and is set to re-join the elite Top 34 when the tour starts on the Gold Coast in March.
"I would have loved to make the Final of course but I'm happy with my performance, and I'm stoked with my two weeks here in Morocco," he said. "I've really enjoyed myself here and I can't wait to start the CT year in Australia now."
The inaugural QS5,000 Pro Taghazout Bay unfolded in six, exciting days of competition, first on the backup venue of Anza and the last couple of days at the primary spot of Anchor Point.
The event was met with exceptional support from the locals as crowds gathered to watch some of the best surfers in the world take it to their lineups. Waves came to the party as well with near-perfect conditions both at Anza and Anchor Point, which allowed the level of performance to go through the roof.
Tune in from January 25 - February 1, 2020 and check out all the photos, videos and updates from the Pro Taghazout Bay.
Nat Young
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Check every 9 since 2018 as we gear up for a return to the North Shore at the Lexus Pipe Pro presented by Yeti. Featuring Kelly Slater,
Pro Taghazout Bay
Have you had enough of the Pro Taghazout Bay action? We haven't either, so we're stoked to bring you a final recap of the inaugural QS5,000
Aside from the main Pro Taghazout Bay action, the event was also a chance to involve local kids with surfing, golfing and more activations
The conditions in Morocco were so good that event champ Nat Young called it one of the best QS comps he's ever surf in.
The Pro Taghazout Bay moves to Anchor Point and waves fire to decide the event's quarterfinalists.
The famed righthand point break comes to life.