After another historic day at the Billabong Pro Pipeline, five-time World Champion Carissa Moore leads the field into Finals Day.
Scoring the wave of the event thus far, during the Round of 16, Moore faced longtime friend Bethany Hamilton in clean, classic, six-foot Pipe conditions. Hunting for a score at Backdoor, after just getting clipped on her prior wave, she locked into a dream line.
In Gold Medal form, The 5x World Champion drops highest wave score of the event so far to eliminate Bethany Hamilton from competition.
Taking a deep pump behind the foam ball, she came flying out with the spit. The number from the judges came in at a 9.50 as she seized both control of the heat and the event's momentum.
In the Quarters, Moore faced Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy. She got on the board early with some clean Pipe barrels, then leveraging her comfort at Backdoor, put the nail in the coffin with an 8-point barrel ride on her forehand.
Moore will now face Lakey Peterson in the Semifinals. The California surfer, who grew up competing against Moore, has quietly been going about her business in this event, making heats with her solid tuberiding and strong rail work.
Local wildcard surfer Moana Jones Wong advances to the Semifinal of the Billabong Pro Pipeline after defeating Australian Isabella Nichols. - WSL / Brent Bielmann
On the other side of the draw, wildcard Moana Jones Wong continued to show the world why she's considered one of the best women out at Pipeline. Dispatching longtime friend and one of last year's Rip Curl WSL Finalists Tatiana Weston-Webb in the Round of 16 with her graceful tuberiding, she relished the underdog opportunity.
"I'm just trying to surf my best and get the best waves I can," she explained.
With some end-of-heat heroics, Lakey Peterson battled her way through a tough Quarterfinal heat against Johanne Defay. - WSL / Tony Heff
In the Quarters, she faced Tour sophomore Isabella Nichols. Wong seized control of the heat early with a pair of 5-point Pipe barrels. Totally in tune with the conditions, once she got rolling she never really looked back. Nichols had a shot at the end, needing less than a 4-point ride, but the opportunity never materialized and Wong's roll continued.
On Finals Day she'll face Tyler Wright. The two-time World Champ eliminated a very in-form Malia Manuel in the Quarters, who had been posting some of the top scores of the event.
Wright's path to the Quarters was a bit unique as rookie India Robinson unfortunately withdrew from the Round of 16 earlier in the day. And in the Opening Round, Wright was set to face seven-time World Champ Stephanie Gilmore, who was unable to compete due to Covid 19 health and safety protocols.
Jones Wong was all smiles looking towards her first Finals Day appearance on the Championship Tour. - WSL / Brent Bielmann
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The next call will come at 7:50am local time on Friday, February 4, 2022. Check the official Surfline Forecast for full details of what's on the horizon.
Day 4 Recap: Moore Goes Excellent, Wong's Wildcard Ride Continues
Jake Howard
After another historic day at the Billabong Pro Pipeline, five-time World Champion Carissa Moore leads the field into Finals Day.
Scoring the wave of the event thus far, during the Round of 16, Moore faced longtime friend Bethany Hamilton in clean, classic, six-foot Pipe conditions. Hunting for a score at Backdoor, after just getting clipped on her prior wave, she locked into a dream line.
Taking a deep pump behind the foam ball, she came flying out with the spit. The number from the judges came in at a 9.50 as she seized both control of the heat and the event's momentum.
In the Quarters, Moore faced Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy. She got on the board early with some clean Pipe barrels, then leveraging her comfort at Backdoor, put the nail in the coffin with an 8-point barrel ride on her forehand.
Moore will now face Lakey Peterson in the Semifinals. The California surfer, who grew up competing against Moore, has quietly been going about her business in this event, making heats with her solid tuberiding and strong rail work.
On the other side of the draw, wildcard Moana Jones Wong continued to show the world why she's considered one of the best women out at Pipeline. Dispatching longtime friend and one of last year's Rip Curl WSL Finalists Tatiana Weston-Webb in the Round of 16 with her graceful tuberiding, she relished the underdog opportunity.
"I'm just trying to surf my best and get the best waves I can," she explained.
In the Quarters, she faced Tour sophomore Isabella Nichols. Wong seized control of the heat early with a pair of 5-point Pipe barrels. Totally in tune with the conditions, once she got rolling she never really looked back. Nichols had a shot at the end, needing less than a 4-point ride, but the opportunity never materialized and Wong's roll continued.
On Finals Day she'll face Tyler Wright. The two-time World Champ eliminated a very in-form Malia Manuel in the Quarters, who had been posting some of the top scores of the event.
Wright's path to the Quarters was a bit unique as rookie India Robinson unfortunately withdrew from the Round of 16 earlier in the day. And in the Opening Round, Wright was set to face seven-time World Champ Stephanie Gilmore, who was unable to compete due to Covid 19 health and safety protocols.
Read More
The next call will come at 7:50am local time on Friday, February 4, 2022. Check the official Surfline Forecast for full details of what's on the horizon.
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