It looks as if my (I mean, the media’s) hype about the youngsters on tour is right on target.
I feel like the tour has taken a breath of fresh air this year: The rookies and veterans are definitely pushing each other to progress their surfing. Day two brought heats to remember, with the heat of the day going to Silvana Lima and Coco Ho—the queen of aerials and proud owner of this week’s only perfect 10, versus the on-fire Hawaiian rookie. And, drum roll please, after a six-minute judge’s delay, Coco Ho took the win to prove she’s a force to be reckoned with. After defeating Rebecca Woods in the following round, Ho made it through to the semis where she’ll face fellow islander Melanie Bartels. It looks as if Coco is mastering this whole competition thing…
Moving on from the unavoidable success of the fresh faces, day two also saw an exciting quarterfinal clash between defending world champ Stephanie Gilmore and unsponsored new mom Chelsea Hedges. While both competitors surfed strong, Stephanie’s style was impeccable. While most were lucky to get one or two turns out of each wave, Stephanie covered the whole length of D-Bah with plenty of flare. She’s obviously mastered this break, being it’s her backyard and all.
With only three heats remaining in the Roxy Pro, and a good forecast going into the weekend, the crowning of a 2009 champion isn’t too far away.
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.73, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 10.07, Ashleigh Smith (AUS) 7.83
Heat 2: Megan Abubo (HAW) 12.33, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.16, Jessi Miley Dyer (AUS) 9.43
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 15.17 def. Amee Donohoe (AUS) 11.34
Heat 2: Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 13.50 def. Samantha Cornish (AUS) 13.43
Heat 3: Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 14.00 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 11.90
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.83 def. Megan Abubo (HAW) 8.40
Heat 5: Coco Ho (HAW) 15.33 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 11.50
Heat 6: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 13.50 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.50
Heat 7: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 15.40 def. Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 12.86
Heat 8: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 11.83 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 6.70
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST QUARTERFINALS RESULTS:
QF 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) 12.17 def. Bruna Schmitz (BRA) 8.20
QF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.83 def. Chelsea Hedges (AUS) 14.83
QF 3: Coco Ho (HAW) 15.34 def. Rebecca Woods (AUS) 7.23
QF 4: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 11.57 def. Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 11.50
ROXY PRO GOLD COAST SEMIFINALS MATCH-UPS:
SF 1: Paige Hareb (NZL) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
SF 2: Coco Ho (HAW) vs. Melanie Bartels (HAW)
Thanks to Surfing Magazine for the results.
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