Moore Takes Flight at Carcavelos on Day 2 of Cascais Women’s Pro

Caption: Defending event winner Carissa Moore (HAW) flies through to the Quarterfinals of the Cascais Women’s Pro.
Image: ASP / Masurel

CARCAVELOS, Cascais, Portugal (Friday, October 23, 2014): The Cascais Women’s Pro, stop No. 9 of 10 on the 2014 Samsung Galaxy ASP Women’s World Championship Tour, ran through Rounds 2, 3 and the first two heats of Round 4 today in clean 3-to-5 foot surf at Carcavelos.

Top seeds Carissa Moore (HAW), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) all sailed through Round 3, securing Quarterfinal berths and staying in contention for the World Title. Tyler Wright (AUS) will have to surf again in Round 4 against Pauline Ado (FRA) after suffering defeat at the hands of Johanne Defay (FRA) in the third Round.

Reigning two-time ASP Women’s World Champion Carissa Moore (HAW)was on fine form today in Round 3 when she put opponents Malia Manuel (HAW) and Paige Hareb (NZL) in a combination situation with her first two waves. Manuel fought back by posting the first nine-point ride of the day with less than five minutes on the clock but it was not enough. The final moments of the heat saw an exciting exchange, with Moore coming out on top, delivering a grab rail reverse to secure her place in the Quarterfinals and put the pressure on Gilmore’s World Title charge. Moore, the defending event winner, posted a heat total of 16.70, the highest of the competition so far. Manuel went on to defeat Laura Enever (AUS) in Round 4 and will join Moore in the Quarterfinals.

“I was having a lot of fun out there. The conditions seemed to get more consistent, and some of the sections just allowed me to really play with the wave and be progressive,” said Moore. “I’m just going to keep building momentum, having a really good time and I’m stoked to be in the Quarterfinals.” 

Five-time ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) wasted no time in opening her Round 2 campaign, posting a solid 7.17 in the early moments of the heat, for a smooth rail-to-rail approach on a clean righthander. Despite the efforts of local wildcard Teresa Bonvalot (PRT) to come back in the battle, an active Gilmore controlled the lineup and picked the best waves on offer to post another two good scores, take the win and keep her World Title hopes alive. 

1. Gilmore kept the ball rolling and put on a dominant performance in her Round 3 bout against to Lakey Peterson (USA) and Pauline Ado (FRA). The potential for a World Title crown in Portugal had the Australian fired up and pushed her performance level to new heights.

“Round 2 is not exactly the place you want to be at, especially at this point in time,” Gilmore said. “But maybe it’s what I needed, something to make me aggressive and more assertive in the lineup. I’m happy to skip Round 4 and advance to the Quarterfinals.”

Current ASP World No. 1 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), wearing the yellow jersey in Cascais, obtained her ticket for the Quarterfinals to stay in the World Title race. Fitzgibbons capitalized on her explosivity in medium-sized waves, navigating a tricky lineup to post two big scores and keep her opponents Courtney Conlogue (USA) and Laura Enever (AUS) at a distance. Conlogue went on to defeat Paige Hareb (NZL) in Round 4 and will face Fitzgibbons in the Quarterfinals.

“As we’ve changed site to Carcavelos today, I wanted to get down to the beach early in the morning to get in tune with the power of the waves, figure out what the banks were doing and try to piece together the best formula,” saidFitzgibbons. “The fans on the beach here in Portugal are so passionate about the sport and that makes it such a pleasure to compete and do battle in front of them.”

Tyler Wright (AUS), started strong in Round 3 Heat 4 with a nice righthander and two big turns for a good 6.50 and an early lead. The in-form rookieJohanne Defay (FRA) chose a different option and sat wider to start on the lefthanders. Defay’s first wave put her in pole position before the talented surfer from Reunion Island caught an even better set to perform three radical backside hacks for a 7.93 and one of the biggest upsets of the day. Defay reaches the Quarterfinals for the fifth time in a row, having found a great rhythm in the back-half of the season.

“I’m feeling great and I’m really happy that I made it through Round 3,” saidDefay. “It was more consistent now than this morning, but it was still a bit tricky as the peak is moving and that makes it hard to find the right spot. I was lucky that I managed to catch two good lefts in the end.”

The Cascais Women’s Pro is webcast LIVE at ASPWorldTour.com.

Cascais Women’s Pro Round 2 Results (1st Advances to Round 3, 2nd Finishes in Equal 13th):
Heat 1: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 11.00 def. Dimity Stoyle (AUS) 10.87 
Heat 2: Johanne Defay (FRA) 10.50 def. Alessa Quizon (HAW) 6.00
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.17 def. Teresa Bonvalot (PRT) 10.56
Heat 4: Malia Manuel (HAW) 16.33 def. Alana Blanchard (HAW) 8.33
Heat 5: Paige Hareb (NZL) 12.50 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 3.73
Heat 6: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.77 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 9.16

Cascais Women’s Pro Round 3 Results (1st Advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd & 3rd to Round 4):
Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.70, Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.97, Paige Hareb (NZL) 8.60
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 16.37, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.47, Laura Enever (AUS) 5.07
Heat 3: Johanne Defay (FRA) 15.10, Tyler Wright (AUS) 10.30, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 5.97
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.50, Lakey Peterson (USA) 10.50, Pauline Ado (FRA) 6.50

Cascais Women’s Pro Round 4 Results (1st Advances to Quarterfinals, 2nd Finishes Equal 9th):
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 8.20 def. Laura Enever (AUS) 7.70
Heat 2: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 11.83 def. Paige Hareb (NZL) 6.83

Upcoming Cascais Women’s Pro Round 4 Match-Ups:
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)
Heat 4: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)

Cascais Women’s Pro Quarterfinal Match-Ups (1st Advances to Semifinals, 2nd Finishes Equal 5th):
Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Heat 3: Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. TBD
Heat 4:  Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. TBD

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