Sally Fitzgibbons falls to Courtney Conlogue in Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic Quarter-finals
In yet another huge upset at the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, America’s Courtney Conlogue eliminated Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons by getting the better of her in the fourth Quarter-final that took place at the Dee Why point in Sydney, Australia,
on Saturday, April 21.
This turned out to be the second disappointment of the day for the local crowd as they had witnessed the removal of former four-time Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World Tour Champion Stephanie Gilmore from the contention for the event
title.
The clean yet challenging two-to-three foot waves breaking at the primary event site on Saturday morning were proving to be a real nuisance for the prestigious female surfers. Despite a heavily talented field, only a handful of surfers were able to adapt
to the demanding conditions, aided by both their skills as well as luck.
Conlogue had been one of the standout performers of the day, following one exceptional performance with another to smoothly make her way through the initial rounds of the fourth of seventh stop on the 2012 ASP Women’s World Tour to eventually reach the Quarter-finals.
However, the American surfer now faced one of her toughest challenge at Dee Why point, Fitzgibbons. The 21-year-old Australian has been in a formidable form yet again this year, currently ranking No.2 on the ASP Women’s World Tour. She had brought her good
form with her to Dee Why point and was looking to register another elite tour win to increase her chances of clinching the coveted ASP Women’s World Title.
As the fourth Quarter-final got underway, the Australian surfer got off to a good start, scoring a 6.17 off her first business-wave. She soon added an additional 7.17 to her account to finish with a heat-total of 13.34 points.
Conlogue rose to the occasion and met the challenge head on. Catching her first business-wave, she unloaded a series of quick turns, earning a 9.00 for the effort. Backing it up with a 5.97-point wave, the American surfer finished with a decisive heat-total
of 14.97 points.
“This is the worst part about what we do,” Fitzgibbons said. “Today I just wasn’t good enough. When you’re feeling strong, you really want to progress through to that Final. I got some early scores and it was really challenging out there. That one wave popped
up for Courtney [Conlogue] and she grabbed a 9.00, which is the highest score of the day. I’m really happy for her. She’s a good friend and she trains and surfs really hard and that paid off today.”
The thrilling surfing battles continued at Dee Why point as the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic moved on to the Semi-finals.
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