The Wright stuff
THE Wright siblings have taken a stranglehold on the Quiksilver Pro and Roxy Gold Coast at the opening event on the 2012 men's and women's ASP World Championship tours at Snapper Rocks.
Lennox Head's Tyler Wright, last year's runner-up, disposed yesterday of women's world champion, Hawaiian Carissa Moore, in a re-match of last year's final.
Wright was ferocious in her assault on the waves at Snapper Rocks, posting two excellent scores en route to causing the event's biggest upset.
"I knew I had to do something big to beat her," Wright said. "She's the ASP women's world champ and I think she won three events last year, so I knew it was going to be tough.
"I was lucky enough that I got the good waves. If she got them she would have smashed me too."
Wright's combined total of 18.03 outpointed Moore's 13.47 to advance the 17-year-old to the semi-finals, where she'll surf off against compatriot Laura Enever.
Amid the high-powered women's action was the men's Quiksilver Pro Gold Coast, which is down to the final eight contestants.
Tyler's older brother, Owen, has progressed to the quarter-finals but not before he was made to fight for it, after finishing second in his morning heat when he was pipped by Brazilian Adriano De Souza.
However, he responded with an impressive 16.20 (out of a possible 20) in his do-or-die round-five heat against Tahiti surfer Michael Bourez, who scored 15.43.
It sets up a quarter-final rematch against De Souza, in which Wright admits he will need to improve.
"Everyone is surfing a lot of eights and it's going to take some solid nines to win it," Wright told FUEL TV yesterday.
"Wave selection is pretty crucial and I always have fun surfing against him (De Souza)."
De Souza beat Wright and Josh Kerr in the first heat yesterday to advance to the round of eight.
"I just tried to concentrate on myself, because Owen is one of the form surfers of this event and Josh can also do some damage out there," De Souza said.
"I tried to catch the best waves and sometimes luck is on your side and it worked out for me in that one.
"I'm stoked to skip round four and move straight into the quarter-finals."
