Tyler Wright succumbs to Malia Manuel in first Semi-final of Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic
Another wave of disappointment surged through the local crowd as another Australian representative Tyler Wright bowed out of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic, fourth of seven stops on the 2012 Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) Women’s World
Title Series, after losing to Hawaii’s Malia Manuel in the first Semi-final that went down at Dee Why point in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, April 21.
The latest edition of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley hosted by the former seven-time ASP Women’s World Champion Layne Beachley was living up to the expectations, delivering a heavy dose of thrilling action to the fans. A handful of prestigious surfers from
around the globe had arrived at the primary event site to take each other on to try and get their hands on the coveted ASP World Tour rating points along with a slice of the prize money, with the top prize being USD $30,000.
Manuel, a 2012 ASP Women’s World Tour rookie, had wasted no time in making herself comfortable among the ranks of the elite surfers, putting on a series of exquisite performances to get herself acknowledged as an emerging threat. She was involved in one
of the biggest upsets of the current event, eliminating the four-time ASP Women’s World Champion and current No.1 on the ASP Women’s World Tour rankings Stephanie Gilmore from the contention for the event title during their Quarter-final clash.
Facing Manuel in the first Semi-final was Wright, the 2011 ASP Women’s World Rookie of the Year. The young Australian had been exhibiting a formidable form as well and expected to come down hard on her rival to get herself a title shot.
As the first Semi-final got underway, Wright drew first blood with an unconvincing 3.83-point ride. As the heat progressed, she managed to locate a relatively juicy wave that she utilised to add an additional 6.67 points to her account, taking her heat-total
to 10.50 points.
Manuel had a tough time navigating her way towards potential scoring opportunities in challenging two-to-three waves as well. However, a stroke of luck and skill allowed her to lock an impressive 8.00-point ride, taking a dominant position in the heat. She
immediately followed it up with a 4.67-point wave to finish with a heat-total of 12.67 points, consequently grabbing the win and moving into the final of the Commonwealth Bank Beachley Classic.
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