Women's Rip Curl Pro Bells Round 1 Recap

Round 1 of the Women’s Rip Curl Pro got underway at Bells Beach yesterday and we saw some early upsets before things settled down into predictability. Here are the Round 1 results:

Heat 1 - Bianca Buitendag defeats Stephanie Gilmore and Chelsea Tuach: Bianca got busy early, but when Gilmore put up an 8.00 about halfway through the heat I thought the three-time Bells champ had this locked up. However, Buitendag looked good on her backhand, as she always does, and she scored big toward the end of the heat to pull the upset. Tuach’s lack of experience at tricky Bells was evident, but she’ll only get better at wave selection with more time.

Heat 2 – Malia Manuel defeats Sally Fitzgibbons and Alessa Quizon: Another upset early in this event. The waves were really tricky in this heat, and Sally only got two legitimate waves. Malia backed up a good wave with a solid one, and that’s all she needed. Sally is yet to win a heat this season. I never thought I would be typing that here. She needs a Round 2 victory.

Heat 3 – Carissa Moore defeats Keely Andrew and Brisa Hennessy: The chalk prevails here. Carissa was solid yet unspectacular, but the waves were not conducive to the sharpest surfing in the world. Moore remains the favorite in this event.

Carissa Moore will look to ring the bell again.
Courtesy of chde.eu

Heat 4 – Courtney Conlogue defeats Laura Enever and Nikki Van Dijk: Courtney dominated and dropped a 9.17 late in the heat despite Nikki interfering on the wave. She looked strong and powerful in some solid Bells surf.

Heat 5 – Tyler Wright defeats Sage Erickson and Coco Ho: Ho looked to be in control of this heat pretty late, but Tyler pulled out an 8.60 and that was all she wrote. I keep beating this drum, but Tyler’s power is a major advantage over many of the Women’s CT competitors. Bells is the perfect place for her to showcase it as long as there is significant swell on offer.

Heat 6 – Johanne Defay defeats Tatiana Weston-Webb and Bronte Macauley:  Defay looked smooth and stylish at Bells, which was not a common theme of this first round. Weston-Webb also surfed well and we know she’s comfortable in powerful waves.  

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf

Roxy Pro Semifinals Set

While the Quiksilver Pro has seen some major upsets and big names going down early, we’ve gotten more chalk from the Roxy Pro. That's not necessarily a bad thing, though, as we've got some of the top surfers on the CT on contention. The Semifinals are all set for the event, so let’s take a look at the heats:

Heat 1 – Tyler Wright vs. Carissa Moore: This is a monster heat. Carissa is the reigning World Champ, as well as the 2015 Roxy Pro champ, and she’s looked very solid in this event so far. She hasn’t been on fire, though, so she could be beatable. If anyone can take her down, it very well could be Tyler. Moore has traditionally dominated these head-to-head matchups, but Wright looks like a different surfer in 2016. She seems focused and determined, and she’s been extremely powerful and creative at Snapper thus far. This should be a fantastic heat.

Tyler Wright has looked great in this event, but a matchup with Carissa Moore looms.
Courtesy of chde.eu

Heat 2 – Courtney Conlogue vs. Johanne Defay: Courtney has looked extremely consistent since losing her Round 1 heat, and she definitely looks to have the form to win this event. She drew the lucky straw in the semis here, as she avoids both Tyler and Carissa. Don’t sleep on Defay, though, as she has really looked impressive on the Gold Coast this year. In her Quarterfinal matchup with Tatiana Weston-Webb, Johanne pulled a ridiculous nose pick in a fashion that we don’t often see on the Women’s CT. The girls are getting more and more progressive, and it makes things more exciting. Courtney is certainly the favorite in this heat, but don't put her in the Final just yet. 

*Quiksilver Pro Quarterfinal Preview coming later today*

Follow Morgan, founder of Go Left, on Twitter @GoLeftSurf