The intense semi-finals of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic concludes
The fourth of the seven stops of Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s Women Tour, the Common Wealth Bank Beachley Classic continued with the semi-final on Friday, May 6, at the Dee Why Point in New South Wales, Australia. After two intense
battles between some of the biggest names in women surfing, it was Peru’s Sofia Mulanovich and Hawaii’s Carissa Moore who advanced to the final stage of the event.
While Friday turned out to be a beautiful day, the same could not be said about the tides. The surf had no regard for the crucial stage of the event and turned out to be less than ideal. However, the surfers did not adjust to the conditions, considering
the surf had not been any better in the previous days either.
The first semi-final pitted Mulanovich against the Australia’s Sally Fitzgibbons. Fitzgibbons had comfortably won the last two events that she had participated in and had been displaying the same excellent form at the Dee Why Point as well. Mulanovich had
not been any less impressive in the current competition, besting her rivals conveniently throughout the contest to get to the semi-final stage. While the Australian was slightly considered more favourite to win the contest, one could not count Mulanovich out
either.
As expected, the showdown between the two in-form surfers turned out to be a real nail-biter. Making the best out of the most decent waves they could clinch, they both pulled off impressive manoeuvres. Fitzgibbons earned herself a total score of 13.60 after
two waves, which turned out to be less than sufficient to keep her rival at bay. Mulanovich clinched the win after posting a score of 14.03 to become one of the two finalists.
“I can't be disappointed with a third place but I think the waves weren't in my favor,” Fitzgibbon said while talking to the ASP. “I just didn't quite find my rhythm. Some days you have it, like in Bells and New Zealand, and some days you don't and today
I just wasn't quite there.”
In the second semi-final, the fight for the coveted spot in the final took place between Hawaii’s Carissa Moore and the reigning four-time ASP Women’s Champion, Stephanie Gilmore. This was another clash of the titans as both the women are on top of their
game this season, though Moore had a slight edge considering her continuous top-two finishes in the last 3 stops of the ASP Women’s World Tour.
The contest turned out to be real close, with both the ladies equally determined to grab the second spot in the final. After a real nail-biter, Moore barely managed to prevail over her Australian rival, scoring 16.50 against Gilmore’s 16.00.
The Hawaiian will be facing Mulanovich in the finale of the Commonwealth Beachley Classic for the title, coveted ASP ranking points and the US$40,000 dollars prize money.
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