WSL Margaret River Pro is ‘on’ with women’s heats & eliminations to feature
Competition has been called on at the Western Australia Margaret River Pro.
‘Margs’ will be stop number five on the World Surf League (WSL) 2023 Championship Tour (CT) after the disappointing surf offered up at Bells Beach, Victoria over Easter where Tyler Wright retained the women’s title and Aussie Ethan Ewing won the men’s division.
Women’s opening round 1 commenced at 7:30 a.m. AWST, and and after the first two heats Hawaiian Carissa Moore and Australia’s Tyler Wright have led the charge.
The WSL have planned to run the women’s Elimination Round straight after the Opening Round heats.
Main Break is offering up small clean surf in the three-to-five foot range with offshore winds, and surfers are on the rights for now rather then the lefts.
Men’s Competition has been called off for the day.
2023 CT Rookie Caitlin Simmers (USA) will have the tough task of taking on 8-time World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and former Margaret River event winner Lakey Peterson (USA) in Heat 3 of the Opening Round.
Both veterans are lower on the rankings than they would like to be and are hoping to finish ‘Margs’ above the mid-season cut line.
Australia’s betting sites have priced Simmers at an attractive +175 price, while Australia’s favourite glamour-girl Steph Gilmore is favourite at +125 and Lakey Peterson is priced a +250 outsider in surfing betting.
Margaret River Pro Women’s Opening Round Matchups
- Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Sophie McCulloch (AUS)
- Heat 2: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Macy Callaghan (AUS) vs. Johanne Defay (FRA)
- Heat 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Brisa Hennessy (CRC) vs. Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
- Heat 4: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA)
- Heat 5: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) vs. Courtney Conlogue (USA)
- Heat 6: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Margaret River Pro Men’s Opening Round Matchups
- HEAT 1: Caio Ibelli (BRA) vs. Ian Gentil (HAW) vs. Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
- HEAT 2: Ryan Callinan (AUS) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS)
- HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Nat Young (USA) vs. Reef Heazlewood (AUS)
- HEAT 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Jackson Baker (AUS) vs. Jarvis Earle (AUS)
- HEAT 5: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Liam O’Brien (AUS) vs. Jerome Forrest (AUS)
- HEAT 6: Joao Chianca (BRA) vs. Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Jack Thomas (AUS)
- HEAT 7: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Carlos Munoz (CRC)
- HEAT 8: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Kolohe Andino (USA)
- HEAT 9: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jake Marshall (USA)
- HEAT 10: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Rio Waida (INA) vs. Maxime Huscenot (FRA)
- HEAT 11: Connor O’Leary (AUS) vs. Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
- HEAT 12: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Callum Robson (AUS) vs. Barron Mamiya (HAW)
