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Tatiana Weston – Webb surfing to victory during the 2016 Vans US Open of Surfing. Photo WSL Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) claimed victory today at the Vans US Open of Surfing in front of a capacity crowd on the Southside of the Huntington Beach Pier in three-to-five foot (1 – 1.5 meter) waves. Weston-Webb claimed her first elite Championship Tour victory today by taking out Malia Manuel (HAW) in a tough Final at Huntington Beach. The win sees earned her 10,000 points and advanced her two places to 4th on the Jeep Leaderboard. “To be honest, I had a tough week last week because I lost out in the first round of the Supergirl Pro QS event,” said Weston-Webb. “I just wanted to get my confidence back up. I knew I had a tough draw here in Huntington, especially going against Courtney (Conlogue). She is at her home court and she is so amazing out here. After beating Courtney I got a lot of confidence. I had to surf the Final against my fellow Kauian Malia (Manuel) and she has been ripping all event.”
Victory tastes sweet for Tatiana, following her first elite win at HB. Photo WSL The Final saw an all-out clash between Hawaiian chargers Weston-Webb and Manuel. Manuel kept busy to put points on the board and charged with back-to-back waves under Weston-Webb’s priority. Weston-Webb fired back with an excellent 7.33 and a 5.63 to regain control with fifteen minutes left on the clock. Manuel continued to chip away at Weston-Webb’s 12.96 combined score. A set out the back in the dying minutes of the heat gave Manuel one last opportunity, but she was not able to find the 7.79 required to close the gap and Weston-Webb took the win. “I can only go up from here and I want to keep this roll going and hopefully win some more events in the future,” continued Weston-Webb. “I just want to thank my family, sponsors and all the fans for their support. This win is for everyone..”
Malia Manuel surfing during Heat Two of the Semifinals at The Vans US Open of Surfing. Photo WSL Manuel’s 2nd place finish at the Vans US Open of Surfing is her best result of the 2016 season and will keep her at 8th to on the Jeep Rankings. Manuel previously dispatched Tyler Wright (AUS) and six-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) to earn her first Final berth of the year. “Being back here in the Final at Huntington Beach is very special,” Manuel said. “Eight years ago I won this event and it was a long time ago, but it is always a nice feeling to make the Final. I’ve gotten a couple of second place finishes these past couple of weeks. California is a second home for me and it is nice to come back and see everyone and all the surf fans.” Despite being eliminated by Manuel in the Semifinals, Tyler Wright (AUS) reclaims first position on the Jeep Rankings with the 6,500 points awarded to her at this event. Wright’s 3rd place result in Huntington Beach has earned her the right to wear the coveted Jeep Rankings Jersey heading into the next event on the CT, the Swatch Women’s Pro.
Lakey Peterson back from injury made it through to the semis. Photo WSL Lakey Peterson (USA) was eliminated in the Semifinals by Weston-Webb. Peterson, who suffered a sidelining injury earlier this year, charged through her first event of the 2016 season to earn a 5th place result. Weston-Webb knocked out Huntington Beach local Courtney Conlogue (USA) in the Quarterfinals. The heat saw both surfers charge for the win, but Conlogue was not able to close the narrow 0.23 point gap required to advance. Conlogue has finished in the top five at every CT event this season, with only the Fiji Pro matching her 5th place result in Huntington Beach. Today’s result will see her move from 1st to 2nd on the Jeep Leaderboard.
Keely Andrew surfing during the Quarterfinals of the 2016Vans US Open of Surfing. Photo WSL 2016 WSL Rookie Keely Andrew (AUS) was eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Wright. Despite Andrew’s elimination from the event, the rookie put on a great performance leading up to the Quarterfinals as she knocked out top ranked surfers Johanne Defay (FRA), defending event Champion, and three-time WSL Champion Carissa Moore (HAW). Highlights from the Vans US Open of Surfing are available at WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app. Vans US Open of Surfing Women’s Final Results: 1 – Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 14.26 2 – Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.96 Vans US Open of Surfing Women’s Semifinal Results: Vans US Open of Surfing Women’s Quarterfinal Results: 2016 Samsung Galaxy WSL Top 5 (after Vans US Open of Surfing):
Tyler Wright surfing during the Quarterfinals of the 2016Vans US Open of Surfing. Photo WSL |
