High Drama As Top Seeds Fall in Round 3 At The Rip Curl Pro Girls Festival

ASP World No. 1 Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and World No. 3 Chelsea Hedges (AUS) saw their Rip Curl Girls Festival hopes dashed, when they were eliminated during Round 3 of competition at Liencres Beach, today.

Posting their collective worst results on the ASP Women’s World Tour this year, the two former duel ASP ratings leaders finished up with equal 9ths, Gilmore eliminated by ASP World Tour rookie Roseanne Hodge (ZAF) and Hedges defeated by Rip Curl Wildcard Alana Blanchard (HAW).

Competing in chilly 3ft (1m) waves, Hodge posted the day’s major upset, by edging out Gilmore to advance into the Quarterfinals, where she will meet World No. 4 Silvana Lima (BRA) when competition resumes.

“It feels like I’ve just won the contest,” Hodge said. “It’s the first time I’ve made it out of Round 3 this year and Steph is really the surfer to beat, I am so happy right now.”

Needing just a 4-point ride with one-minute of their 30-minute heat remaining, Hodge tore apart a smaller inside wave posting a 5.50 (out of a possible 10.00) to crush Gilmore.

“Steph had priority and I was just looking for a little running one on the inside,” Hodge explained. “I could get whatever wave I wanted that she didn’t have and I just saw this opportunity and went for it. I tried to play it safe and have fun and relax and it paid off for me.”

Seventeen-year-old event wildcard Alana Blanchard lived up to the infamous wildcard reputation, disposing of Hedges by an exceptionally narrow margin in Heat 4, her 9.65 (out of a possible 20.00) just enough to squash Hedges’s 9.40.

“It feels good,” Blanchard said. “It’s just too bad there weren’t enough waves to show off some real surfing but I’m stoked I could be in a contest with Chelsea. She’s such a good surfer and it’s a real confidence boost for me.”

Blanchard’s win earned her a slot into the Quarterfinals of her first ASP Women’s World Tour event, where she will meet 2004 ASP World Champion Sofia Mulanovich (PER).

Mulanovich is looking increasingly potent in the left-breaking waves of Liencres. The diminutive South American surfer holds the only pair of nine-point rides scored in this event to date; one of which she used to dispose of 2006 Rookie of the Year Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) in Heat 3 this morning.

“I’m just having fun at the moment,” Mulanovich said. “I love these kind of waves, little lefts, I think it’s my strongest point. I’m really hungry after loosing out in Brazil and I really want to have a good result here.”

Another surfer to revel in the smaller left-handers (left breaking waves) was ASP World No. 2 Samantha Cornish (AUS) who managed to keep her World No. 1 hopes alive, by surviving her Round 3 clash against Melanie Bartels (HAW).

“I’m stoked I was in the first heat because I got a bit of the low tide,” Cornish said. “It was a risky heat, Mel’s a great surfer and she only needed a five there. I made a few mistakes, fell on a few but lucky for me the waves went flat and she didn’t get one.”

With Gilmore and Hedges out of the picture, Cornish is now in a good position to gain some ground on the ASP ratings and if all goes her way could jump to World No. 1 after this event.

7X ASP World Champion Layne Beachley (AUS) saw a return to form, posting a convincing victory over fellow ASP World Tour veteran Rochelle Ballard (HAW) in Heat 5. She will meet Amee Donohoe (AUS) in the Quarterfinals.

Fellow Australian Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) also advanced today ahead of Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) in Heat 2. Bevilacqua was penalized for an interference call, in what was a very dramatic heat this morning.

Silvana Lima (BRA) earned her spot in the Quarterfinals by defeating Megan Abubo (HAW).

QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Samantha Cornish (AUS) vs Melanie Redman Carr (AUS)
Heat 2: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) vs Alana Blanchard (HAW)
Heat 3: Layne Beachley (AUS) vs Amee Donohoe (AUS)
Heat 4: Silvana Lima (BRA) vs Roseanne Hodge (ZAF)

--Press Release