Roxy Pro Biarritz is the sixth of seven stops on the 2012 ASP Women's World Tour. Three full lay days provided ample time to set the surfers buzzing at an event that already carries some seriously high voltage. The ladies at the top are hyper aware that the title race could end in Biarritz and they performed as if their [Tour] lives depended on it. At the end of Friday's many hours of competition, four of the top five have secured spots in the quarterfinals.
Australian Tyler Wright's casual ferocity and strength propelled her past world number four Courtney Conlogue, who will battle fellow American Lakey Peterson in the fourth round on Saturday. Aussie Sally Fitzgibbons and Hawaiian Carissa Moore (second and third, respectively) looked exceptionally hungry as they both utterly slashed the waist- to chest-high waves at La Côte des Basques. And as for the current rankings leader, Steph Gilmore, something unusual could be discerned on the Australian's face before her first-round heat: anxiety.
Gilmore is the front-runner in a race to her fifth world title and if she wins the Roxy Pro, the only way the crown will elude her (in France) is if Fitzgibbons places second. Fitzgibbons is just 1,500 points behind Gilmore, though these calculations don't account for the omission of each surfer's least favorable finish. If Gilmore doesn't claim the win in France, the Tour travels to the U.S. Open with a massive, galvanizing question mark in the place where a world champion's face will shortly appear. At this point, Moore and Conlogue are still title contenders, but if Gilmore gets a third in Biarritz, they need to take out first in order to stay in the game -- something only one of them can do, which means that at its widest, the contenders' pool will be whittled down to three.
The day's only real upset occurred when Australia's Bec Woods narrowly defeated Fitzgibbons, sending her to elimination round two. Fitzgibbons came back full-force in the following round, dodging a knockout with the highest heat total of the day (18.15), as well as the highest single wave score of the day (9.5). Wright and Coco Ho also scored notable nine-point rides.
Conditions waxed and waned with the tides and by late Friday afternoon, world champions and standout rookies alike struggled with the wind and chop.
"Normally, I'm pretty patient and I just sit and wait, but out there, it was a bit of a mess. Today had some moments of brilliance and Sally's heat, in particular, looked so much fun! I was just praying, I was like, 'Come on!' Watching the clock tick, I wanted it to go faster so I could get out there. The storm came just in time for my heat," Gilmore said with a smile. "But yeah, I was productive... enough."
On Saturday, the competition will be held at La Grande Plage, which Gilmore says is "maybe a better beach that this." She continued, "I think all of the girls will appreciate being over there -- especially when the conditions get a bit more stormy and a bit bigger."
The Roxy Pro will resume on Saturday morning, with a call being made at 9 a.m. local time. It will conclude in surf that's anticipated to reach six feet. And someone could wind up a World Title richer.
UPCOMING ROXY PRO BIARRITZ ROUND 4 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Lakey Peterson (USA)
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW, Rebecca Woods (AUS)
Heat 3: Malia Manuel (HAW), Paige Hareb (NZL)
Heat 4: Laura Enever (AUS), Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
ROXY PRO BIARRITZ ROUND 3 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) 15.10, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.40, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.30
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.40, Coco Ho (HAW) 11.55, Lakey Petersen (USA) 8.35
Heat 3: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 16.00, Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.70, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 9.60
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 14.00, Laura Enever (AUS) 9.25, Paige Hareb (NZL) 6.10
ROXY PRO BIARRITZ ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 12.75 def. Sarah Mason (NZL) 12.40
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 15.25 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 13.35
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.15 def. Johanne Defay (REU) 11.00
Heat 4: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.75 def. Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 11.00
Heat 5: Coco Ho (HAW) 16.00 def. Justine Dupont (FRA) 15.15
Heat 6: Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.65 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 7.50
ROXY PRO BIARRITZ ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.50, Sarah Mason (NZL) 13.15, Coco Ho (HAW) 9.00
Heat 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) 12.05, Lakey Peterson (USA) 10.65, Sage Erickson (USA) 8.10
Heat 3: Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.30, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.00, Johanne Defay (FRA) 6.60
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 13.20, Paige Hareb (NZL) 10.80, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 7.75
Heat 5: Carissa Moore (HAW) 17.30, Justine Dupont (FRA) 14.90, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 5.00
Heat 6: Laura Enever (AUS) 14.50, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.15, Pauline Ado (FRA) 7.40