In the women's LQS Semifinals, Chelsea Williams (AUS) and Hiroka Yoshikawa (JPN) went wave for wave, with Williams' long linking manoeuvres, big carves and long nose rides giving her the edge to progress to the Final with a combined score of 12.95 over Yoshikawa's 10.40. In the other Semifinal, Nava Young's stylish surfing with big bottom turns and carves moved her into the Final against Williams with a combined total of 13.00 against Taiwan's highest placed surfer of the event, Shiu Yon Chang.
"I feel so lucky to have made the Semifinals," Chang said. "The waves were great out there but I wasn't good enough today to win. This event is very important for me, I get the chance to see how the other international competitors surf and learn from them. I'm really happy to be able to compete here in Taiwan."
The women's LQS Final saw Nava Young in the lead for almost the entire thirty minutes, however with under two minutes left on the clock Williams made a last ditch attempt to steal the lead, successfully scoring a 6.40 to back up her 6.50, overtaking Young by just 0.65 and leaving her with no time to answer back.
"I'm stoked, it was hard work out there and a lot of paddling but I'm so happy to have won," Williams said. "I knew I could get the score, I just needed the right kind of wave, so it was great that I managed to get that at the end. This gives me a bit of confidence leading into the upcoming GoPro World Longboard Championships China, presented by Wanning and I've picked up on a few things that I can work on when I get home so it's definitely been a good event."
The 2014 Taiwan Open of Surfing will run from November 11th - 17th - http://www.aspworldtour.com/events/2014/mqs/1026/taiwan-open-of-surfing
Taiwan Open of Surfing Men's 1-Star QS Final Results:
Final: Jordan Lawler (AUS) 17.25 def. Taylor Jensen (USA) 9.25
Taiwan Open of Surfing Men's LQS Final Results:
Final: Taylor Jensen (USA) 16.65 def. Justin Redman (AUS) 10.85
Taiwan Open of Surfing Women's LQS Final Results:
Chelsea Williams (AUS) 12.90 def. Nava Young (AUS) 12.25
