EVEN though the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach only ran the first six heats of men’s round three on Monday, the second stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) saw rattling upsets.
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Big names were dispatched from the draw, in four-to-six foot (1.2-2 metre) conditions at Bells Beach.
Event organisers halted the round three matchups after conditions deteriorated due to an incoming tide and strengthening onshore winds.
Huge crowds continued to fill into Bells Beach as surf fans hoped to get one more glimpse of their hero Mick Fanning (Australia) as he surfs in his last event as a full-time CT competitor.
The three-time WSL Champion and four-time Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach event winner did not disappoint, taking down Hawaii’s Sebastian Zietz in a blow-for-blow battle.
Fanning’s trademark arcs in the Bells Bowl saw him win and advance at his swansong event.
Of particular interest though, was the performance of Culburra Beach’s Owen Wright, who cruised through his round three heat against Brazil’s Jesse Mendes.
Wright’s waves of 7.27 and 7.87, for a combined a 15.14, saw him easily account for his opponent’s total of 10.33.
The Culburra Beach Boardrider will now face countrymen Wade Carmichael and French Polynesia’s Michel Bourez in round four – for a spot in the quarter-finals.
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach round three results:
Heat one: Wade Carmichael (AUS) 13.30 def. Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.17
Heat two: Michel Bourez (PYF) 12.84 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 9.66
Heat three: Owen Wright (AUS) 15.14 def. Jesse Mendes (BRA) 10.33
Heat four: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.77 def. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.33
Heat five: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.56 def. Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 9.10
Heat six: Patrick Gudauskas (USA) 10.73 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 9.37
Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach remaining round three matchups:
Heat 7: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Heat 8: Joel Parkinson (AUS) vs. Frederico Morais (PRT)
Heat 9: Adriano de Souza (BRA) vs. Conner Coffin (USA)
Heat 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Italo Ferreira (BRA)
Heat 11: Adrian Buchan (AUS) vs. Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Heat 12: Gabriel Medina (BRA) vs. Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Rip Curl Women’s Pro Bells Beach quarter-final matchups:
Quarter-final one: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Silvana Lima (BRA)
Quarter-final two: Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) vs. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Quarter-final three: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Johanne Defay (FRA)
Quarter-final four: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Sage Erickson (USA)
