After a second-round loss to start her 2018 season, Tatiana Weston-Webb has a big result locked up at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach. Weston-Webb is into the semifinal round but her path to what would be her second Championship Tour title appears at least manageable on its surface.
After a head-to-head win over Malia Manuel in round two, Weston-Webb and Silvana Lima teamed up to eliminate Tyler Wright in their third-round matchup. With a fairly dominant win over Nikki Van Dijk in the quarterfinals, Weston-Webb and Lima will now go against one another for a spot in the final heat.
Tati surfs under the Hawaiian flag, but she and Lima are the only two current CT women to have been born in Brazil. The pair have not faced one another frequently in CT events and their contrast in styles should be compelling viewing. Lima, a regular-footer with a long history of success at the highest levels, knocked out Carissa Moore in the quarters. She needed a 5.53 in the closing seconds and nabbed the last wave with just 10 seconds to go in the heat. Four tight maneuvers earned her a 7.27 and the spot in the semifinal round.
Almost 12 years her junior, Tati has been showing off her goofy-foot style with a few of the best and most powerful waves the women have produced at Bells this year. Each are fierce competitors and having had a full lay day on Tuesday to stew about their matchup, it should be a fantastic showdown.
Rookie Caroline Marks continues to overachieve as she finds herself in the second semifinal against Stephanie Gilmore. Marks topped Johanne Defay in the quarters and has an amazing opportunity to take the yellow jersey away from Lakey Peterson with a contest victory.
Over on the men’s side, eight surfers remain in the hunt. One everyone expected to see is out, one everyone was hoping to see is still in.
John John Florence has his second straight disappointing result as the two-time defending world champ lost in his third-round matchup with fellow Oahu surfer Ezekiel Lau. Lau is matched up with Italo Ferreira in the quarterfinals and a win there would guarantee that he matches his best career CT result.
But for Florence, this 13th-place finish after a 25th at Snapper Rocks puts him in a difficult position to claim his third consecutive world title. It’s certainly not out of the question, given his abilities at every type of wave around the world, but notching two throwaway results to start the season is a disappointment. He’ll try to salvage something from the Aussie leg when the tour heads next to Margaret River.
The one man not looking ahead is Mick Fanning, who will be retiring after this event and remains in the field as the fan favorite. Fanning had his work cut out for him in round four as both Patrick Gudauskas and Matt Wilkinson started quickly and had him in third place. But Fanning scored a pair of back-to-back waves to move all the way up into first, ultimately eliminating Wilkinson from the event.
Fanning also eliminated Sebastian Zietz in round three, adding a few more days to his swan song. He’ll now take on Owen Wright in the quarters, a heat that may normally have the Aussie contingent split in their allegiances. This time, however, just about all support outside the Wright family should be heavily in Mick’s favor.
Michel Bourez will face Gudauskas and Gabriel Medina takes on Frederico Morais in the other two quarterfinal heats.
Today could be finals day if the commissioners give the green light. If so, it will be Fanning’s final day in a jersey as a full-time CT competitor. It could also be Tati’s second time chaired up the beach and a chance for her to move into the world title picture. Ringing the bell is the goal for all still in the field, but just two will survive to have that iconic moment become a reality.
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David Simon can be reached at dsimon@thegardenisland.com.
