Bede Durbidge went down to wildcard Michel Bourez over at the Quik Pro, meaning all that stands between Slater and winning world title number 9 in France is the diminutive Taj Burrow, who refuses to go quietly into the night.*  Realistically, the title is Slater's, but why dispense with the pretenses, eh? 

In the rookie of the year chase, Dane Reynolds is now 2-0 vs. Jordy Smith in head-to-head matches after comboing the South African in merciless fashion.  Dane picks up at least 150 points on Smith, who is slowly sliding towards missing the cut for next year; he's not in any serious danger yet, but something to keep an eye on.

Kudos for Damien Hobgood for making it to Round 4, where he will face off against brother CJ.  Damien definitely needs a good result, he's had a rough year and is not well-situated to requalify for the Dream Tour at the moment.

Michel Bourez, the wildcard who slew Durbidge is Tahitian... normally wildcards are from the country the event is being hosted in, but I'm guessing the ASP thought a french-sounding name on a surfer from one of their colonies was good enough... and hell, they were right. 

*Or not... Burrow admits the title is Slater's, he's just out there trying to win events.