Caption: California's Griffin Colapinto (USA) will join the elite men's Championship Tour in 2018. 
Credit: © WSL / Cestari

LOS ANGELES, California/USA (Tuesday, December 19, 2017) - The 2017 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) season has come to a close, with John John Florence (HAW)and Tyler Wright (AUS) both defending their respective maiden world surfing crowns to become two-time WSL Champions.

The 2018 elite men’s Championship Tour (CT) will be contested by the WSL Top 34, made up of the top 22 finishers on the 2017 CT season, the top 10 finishers on the 2017 Qualifying Series (QS) and two WSL wildcards.

2017 Top 22 CT:
John John Florence (HAW)
Gabriel Medina (BRA)
Julian Wilson (AUS)
Jordy Smith (ZAF)
Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
Owen Wright (AUS)
Kolohe Andino (USA)
Adriano de Souza (BRA)
Joel Parkinson (AUS)
Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
Mick Fanning (AUS)
Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Frederico Morais (PRT)
Jeremy Flores (FRA)
Adrian Buchan (AUS)
Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
Caio Ibelli (BRA)
Michel Bourez (PYF)
Conner Coffin (USA)
Joan Duru (FRA)
Italo Ferreira (BRA)

2017 Top 10 QS (minus double qualifiers from CT):
Griffin Colapinto (USA)
Jesse Mendes (BRA)
Wade Carmichael (AUS)
Tomas Hermes (BRA)
Yago Dora (BRA)
Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Keanu Asing (HAW)
Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
Michael Rodrigues (BRA)
Patrick Gudauskas (USA)

WSL Wildcards: Kelly Slater (USA) and Ian Gouveia (BRA)

CT Men’s Replacement Surfers:
Michael February (ZAF)
Bede Durbidge (AUS)
Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Wiggolly Dantas (BRA)

The 2018 elite women’s Championship Tour (CT) will be contested by the WSL Top 17, comprised of the top 10 finishers on the 2017 CT, the top six finishers on the 2017 QS and the WSL wildcard.

2017 Top 10 CT:
Tyler Wright (AUS)
Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Carissa Moore (HAW)
Lakey Peterson (USA)
Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
Sage Erickson (USA)
Johanne Defay (FRA)
Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)

2017 Top 6 QS (minus double qualifiers from the CT):
Silvana Lima (BRA)
Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Coco Ho (HAW)
Caroline Marks (USA)
Keely Andrew (AUS)
Paige Hareb (NZL)

WSL Wildcard: Malia Manuel (HAW)

CT Women’s Replacement Surfers:
Macy Callaghan (AUS)
Pauline Ado (FRA)
Dimity Stoyle (AUS)
Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)

The 2018 WSL Championship Tour season will commence with the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast from March 11 - 22, 2018.

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com. 

GABRIEL MEDINA & CARISSA MOORE WIN
QUIKSILVER AND ROXY PRO FRANCE 
- FLORENCE TAKES JEEP LEADER JERSEY FROM SMITH
- FITZGIBBONS RETAINS FRONTRUNNER POSITION HEADING INTO FINAL EVENT OF SEASON
- MORE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Your 2017 winners of the Roxy Pro and Quiksilver Pro France, Carissa Moore (HAW) and Gabriel Medina (BRA). 
Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

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HOSSEGOR, France (Saturday, October 14, 2017) - Gabriel Medina (BRA) and Carissa Moore (HAW) claimed victory today at the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France, respectively, in excellent three-to-five foot (1 - 1.5 metre) rippable peaks at Stop No. 9 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT). 

2014 WSL Champion Medina built momentum all week to peak at the perfect time in the final series and put together two massive heats in the Semifinals and Final to win the Quiksilver Pro France. His final bout against Sebastian Zietz (HAW), held in picture-perfect conditions at La Graviere, was the third French win of his young career.

Three-time WSL Champion Moore claimed back-to-back wins at the Roxy Pro France today, elevating her game to a whole new level and putting herself back in the World Title conversation by dispatching Lakey Peterson (USA) in the Final.

The incredible surf conditions at the Quiksilver Pro France, Stop No. 9 of 11 on the 2017 Men’s Championship Tour, elevated the level of performance to new heights and witnessed Medina earn his third Quiksilver Pro France win. The 2014 WSL Champion showcased his dominance today after defeating Zietz in the Final, reigning WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW) in the Semifinals, and 2012 WSL Champion Joel Parkinson (AUS) in the Quarterfinals. 
 
“I am so stoked,” said Medina. “It feels so good to win again. I have been working so hard before this event. This is a really special place for me. I am just stoked. I had a great event here with the good waves we got. I am really happy right now. I am not thinking about a World Title or ranking -- I just want to do good at every event. I promised myself that I had to win one event this year and I finally got it!”

The Brazilian’s triumph today not only marks his eighth Championship Tour win, but it also vaults him from 8th to 3rd place on the Jeep Leaderboard, placing him well within striking distance of the World Title behind Florence and Jordy Smith (ZAF). Medina will now look to continue his success on the European leg at the next stop on the Championship Tour, the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, which opens on October 20, 2017. 

“It feels amazing to be back here in France,” continued Medina. “I love this kind of beach break. I have waves like this at home, so I feel really comfortable here. France has always been nice to me. This is my third win here and it’s amazing. I feel good about the World Title race. Now it is Portugal. Everyone starts from zero, so we will do this all over again, and hopefully, I can do good there.”
 
In the Final Medina was first to gain momentum as he attacked the long rights with his signature vertical hacks to put a 14.84 (out of a possible 20) heat total quickly on the board. Medina continued to build and pushed his total up to 16 points to claim a third win in France and his first victory this season.

The runner-up finish for Zietz is his best result in 2017 and the second Finals berth of his career. The 29-year-old surfer will now move up four places to 11th on the rankings. En route to his matchup with Medina, Zietz dispatched World No. 4 Owen Wright (AUS) in Round 5, Miguel Pupo (BRA) in the Quarterfinals and Kolohe Andino (USA) in the Semifinals. 
 
“The conditions were just amazing at this event,” Zietz said. “It was a great time. I am super happy with this result. I had to come up against Gabriel (Medina). That side of the draw was super gnarly -- Gabriel and John (Florence) are probably the heaviest guys on Tour right now -- so to come up against Gabriel, I knew it was going to be tough. Kind of bummed that I did not put up more of a fight, didn’t get over a 5, but it’s alright because it was fun and I got a trophy.”
 
Kolohe Andino’s (USA) French run ended when the Californian faced Zietz in the Semis. The Hawaii surfer found one of the last few remaining tubes of La Graviere and made the situation difficult for Andino. With his second Semifinal finish this season, Andino will jump two spots into the 10th position on the Jeep Leaderboard. 
 
Florence went head-to-head with Medina in an epic Semifinal clash where both surfers took the debate to the air. A very slow start of the match-up almost ended in a heat re-start but the two aerialists found plenty of opportunities in the second half of the semi to put on an amazing show for the crowds.

The reigning WSL Champion had a blasting path to the Semis with no less than seven 9-point rides in the previous three heats and all of the event’s highest heat totals. With an equal third today in France, the Hawaiian will head to Peniche wearing the Jeep Leader Jersey, moving past Smith who was eliminated in Round 3.
 
“It was a really fun heat, they’re always interesting against Gabe (Medina),” Florence said. “I made a few mistakes in the beginning of the heat and it kind of cost me then. But I was stoked I ended up getting a couple of good waves. I have so much confidence going into Portugal for sure, the waves and the people here have been so awesome it’s been such a good tripall together.”
 
Marc Lacomare’s (FRA) incredible run as a wildcard ended in the Quarterfinals where the Frenchman couldn’t complete a decent ride and fell to Andino. The result marks the first time a French surfer has reached the quarters in a very long time and gave a great glance at Lacomare’s potential as a future Championship Tour surfer.
 
Stop No. 9 of 10 on the 2017 World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), the Roxy Pro France, was equally graced with incredible conditions for the world’s best female surfers, culminating with Moore’s victory.

“It has been a crazy year and just to come out with a win is amazing,” said Moore. “This one means so much because it has been a tricky year. I’ve been going through some growth personally and it was just nice to see it all fall into place. I was just really happy this event. I had such a great support crew here and at home. The vibes were really good this week.”
 
The three-time WSL Champion claimed her first event win of 2017, putting an end to an unusually victory-poor season. The Hawaiian started building momentum in Portugal last week where she placed runner-up and took one step further today to claim back-to-back titles at the Roxy Pro France. Today also marks the Hawaiian’s nineteenth Championship Tour win.

“I’m so stoked, we couldn’t ask for better conditions here and it’s been a long time since I won an event,” Moore said. “Coming up against Lakey (Peterson), I was a little nervous but I knew I just had to let everything go and just have fun. All the girls have really raised the level each event. I am grateful to be here and I am really inspired by my peers. Life can’t get much better.”
 
Moore’s path to her back-to-back win at the Roxy Pro France was the longest it could have been as she surfed in all seven possible heats of the event. Despite being relegated to the difficult elimination rounds early on, Moore’s determination paid off with wins over current World No. 1 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Silvana Lima (BRA), Pauline Ado (FRA), and eventually Peterson in the Final. 

In a slow start of the Final, only Moore was able to build a little momentum with a couple of small scores while Peterson struggled to find a good wave. Moore stepped up ten minutes in with an incredible ride to post a 9.20 (out of a possible 10) on a combination of carves for a strong lead over the Californian. Peterson fought back with an excellent ride of her own, an 8.27 to get back in the heat. A final opportunity came for both surfers in the dying moments of the final, but Peterson failed to capitalize and Moore walked away for the win.

Peterson’s second place result in France equals her best finish in 2017 as she also earned the runner-up spot at the Roxy Pro Gold Coast earlier this year. The Californian shined through a difficult draw to earn 8,000 points, which advance her up to 6th place on the Jeep Leaderboard. The 23-year old has posted impressive results this year, but will look to Honolua Bay for a strong finish to the season.
 
“It is great to be back up here on the podium,” said Peterson. “Gold Coast seems like ages ago, so it is nice to know I’ve still got it. It has been a really fun year for me. It has been a lot of ups-and-downs. The highs have been really high and the lows have been pretty low. I am glad to be up here once again and hopefully next time I’ll be taking home the bigger trophy. I was super stoked to finish in such beautiful conditions. Thank you everyone and all the locals in Hossegor for giving us waves for this event. I really felt blessed to be out there.”
 
World No. 1 coming into Hossegor, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), could not match Moore’s flair in their Semifinal clash and claimed an equal third place for the fifth time this season. This excellent result further solidifies the Australian’s position on top of the Women’s Jeep Leaderboard heading into the final event of the season in Maui, Hawaii.
 
“It’s been great to use the week we had to kind of better myself away from competition and keep surfing,” Fitzgibbons said. “Carissa (Moore) got the jump with that first 8.67 and it was tough to find one, in theend I needed that 9 point wave. I feel like my surfing was there, I really just didn’t bump into the opportunity. It’s good to be consistent throughout the year, but you know I have the desire, I want to win events and be on that podium.”
 
The reigning World Champion and finalist last year in France, Tyler Wright (AUS) brought her A-game to the Semifinals but found a massive hurdle on her road to the final as Peterson posted a near-perfect 9.43 opener. With a third Semifinal finish in 2017, Wright will move up to second on the Jeep Leaderboard with a shot at defending her maiden World Title in Hawaii.
 
Coming off a difficult week in Portugal where Wright sustained a knee injury prior to the event start, a hard working road to recovery with her entourage saw the powerful regular-foot come back to form just in time to compete in France.

“I’ve actually enjoyed the journey of this injury,” Wright said. “It’s actually pushed me forward at an accelerated rate. I have such a deep appreciation for all the time and efforts that everyone around me have put in, especially this week. It makes competing incredibly enjoyable and I’m so lucky to have them on my side.”

Highlights from the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France are available at WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and on the WSL’s Facebook page. 

The next stop on the 2017 WSL Men's Championship Tour is the MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal, which gets underway on October20 2017 and runs through October 31, 2017. 

For all results, photos, video highlights, press releases and LIVE webcast, log on to worldsurfleague.com or the WSL mobile app.

Quiksilver Pro France Final Results:
1: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.00
2: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 9.30

Quiksilver Pro France Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 16.26 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.00
SF 2: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 16.40 def. John John Florence (HAW) 16.00

Quiksilver Pro France Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 15.93 def. Miguel Pupo (BRA) 14.10
QF 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 11.60 def. Marc Lacomare (FRA) 6.10
QF 3: John John Florence (HAW) 19.67 def. Mick Fanning (AUS) 10.67
QF 4: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.20 def. Joel Parkinson (AUS) 1.20

Quiksilver Pro France Round 5 Results:
Heat 1: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 14.40 def. Owen Wright (AUS) 11.73
Heat 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) 14.94 def. Caio Ibelli (BRA) 11.96
Heat 3: Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.70 def. Joan Duru (FRA) 13.37
Heat 4: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 14.03 def. Nat Young (USA) 10.24

Roxy Pro France Final Results:
1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.70
2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.50

Roxy Pro France Semifinal Results:
SF 1:Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.60 def. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.07
SF 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 17.20 def. Tyler Wright (AUS) 15.56

2017 WSL Men’s Jeep Leaderboard (After Quiksilver Pro France):
1 - John John Florence (HAW) 49,900 pts
2 - Jordy Smith (ZAF) 47,600 pts
3 - Gabriel Medina (BRA) 40,750 pts
4 - Owen Wright (AUS) 39,850 pts
5 - Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 38,200 pts

2017 WSL Women’s Jeep Leaderboard (After Roxy Pro France):
1 - Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 52,900 pts
2 - Tyler Wright (AUS) 51,200 pts
3 - Courtney Conlogue (USA) 50,000 pts
4 - Carissa Moore (HAW) 47,300 pts
5 - Stephanie Gilmore (HAW) 45,150 pts
 

PUMPING SURF AND SHOCKING UPSETS IN OPENING ROUNDS OF QUIKSILVER PRO FRANCE
- LOCAL HERO JOAN DURU LEADS THE WAY WITH MASSIVE PERFORMANCE ON HOME GROUND
- WILDCARD MARC LACOMARE ELIMINATES WORLD NO. 3 JULIAN WILSON IN ROUND TWO
- MORE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Joan Duru (FRA) took top honors with the highest scores of Round One at the Quiksilver Pro France.
Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

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HOSSEGOR, France (Thursday, October 12, 2017) - Following an opening weekend dedicated to women’s action and three consecutive lay days, the Quiksilver Pro France launched in epic conditions at La Graviere. A new swell pushed clean offshore waves in the six-to-eight foot range (1.8 - 2.4 metre) for the men’s first round and eight heats of the second.

The opening two heats of Stop No. 9 of the men’s World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT) got off to a slow start as the lineup was still settling from a windy afternoon yesterday. Top seeds Adriano de Souza (BRA) and Owen Wright (AUS) suffered Round Two relegations at the hands of  Stuart Kennedy (AUS) and Nat Young (USA), respectively. 

“I was feeling a bit tired this morning but I’m so happy to finally win a Round One heat,” Kennedy said. “I haven’t won a three-man heat in a CT since Trestles last year, so it feels good to finally put it together.”

“It definitely feels good to skip Round Two, that thing is always deadly,” Young said. “It’s always good to have a heat when the waves are fun. It’s tough to come up against the higher seeds in Round Three, too, whether it’s John (Florence) or Jordy (Smith) or whoever that is at every event, but right now I have no pressure so I’ll just go out there and do my thing.”

World No. 4 Matt Wilkinson (AUS) was the first top seed to click into gear, taking his backhand vertical attack to the clean Graviere rights to post two good scores and advance straight into Round Three. Aussie compatriot Josh Kerr (AUS) narrowly missed the landing of a couple of aerial maneuvers that could have turned the heat but in the end, the slightly safer approach of Wilkinson won the heat.

“It was so fun out there, the tide came in quickly and I knew it was going to move in and become a bit chunkier,” Wilkinson said. “That first 7 was kind of exactly what I was looking for. It’s good to surf waves that have a bit of power, you just pick a line and push as hard as you can. I’m excited coming into this leg. I love surfing here and in Portugal when the forecast is good. If I just keep winning heats and find myself at the two end of these two events I’m definitely going to be back up there for Pipe.”

Caio Ibelli (BRA) and Ethan Ewing (AUS) teamed up in Heat 4 to relegate one more top seed to Round Two in Julian Wilson (AUS). Ibelli was the first surfer to find a good hollow section on the lefts to score a deep barrel for a near-excellent score. But, it was rookie Ewing and an inspired performance on the rights that won him his first Round One win this season. Ewing let loose on a beautiful set wave and put together a combination of three major carves for an 8.40, the biggest score of the day at that point.

“It’s been hard on the CT with waves that I thought were good and scores that weren’t,” Ewing explained. “So I’ll take it when it comes my way. I’m putting less pressure on myself coming into the back half of the year, just trying to have fun and show what I can do.”

Italo Ferreira (BRA) started his Round One heat the best possible way, launching into a massive backhand rotation in the Graviere shorebreak to post a near-perfect 9.50 in the opening minutes. But when facing the reigning WSL Champion John John Florence (HAW), one big score is never going to be enough, and the Hawaiian went to the air as well to post a couple of big numbers and take the win over Ferreira and defending event champion Keanu Asing (HAW).

“I didn’t see his wave, but I heard everyone freaking out and I knew it was a big score, he’s always going to do something massive especially in those conditions,” Florence said. “I was starting to get my composure back towards the end of that heat and got a couple waves.”

World No. 1 Jordy Smith (ZAF) put on a power-surfing clinic on his forehand in the following heat, dominating a Round One battle with talented Frenchman and event wildcard Marc Lacomare (FRA) as well as CT sophomore Kanoa Igarashi (USA). Smith’s flawless approach on the overhead sets won him a 16.10 heat total for a spot into Round Three.

“It’s got a lot of power out there I’m kind of psyched on the conditions, it’s so buttery it’s really nice when you get that open face you can really lay down some tracks,” Smith said. “I never take a three-man heat lightly -- I always try my best to skip those. My boards are feeling really good. It’s kind of the usual that I normally ride and when there’s a bit more power in the waves, my boards seem to love it so I’m stoked!”

Local hero Joan Duru (FRA) galvanized the massive crowds enjoying a picture-perfect day in Southwest France in Heat 7. Duru found two absolute bombs in the opening four minutes of his match-up with Filipe Toledo (BRA) and Miguel Pupo (BRA) and built an incredible 18-point total to combo his two opponents. Duru’s backhand barrel skills came at the perfect time when La Graviere started pulsing deep sections and his punctuation marks under the lip finished the job. A last barrel from Duru in the dying seconds of the heat continued to keep the fans on their toes even if the score was not a substantial one.

“I got a little hometown luck, paddling back from the other side of the peak and getting a wave straight to me,” Duru admitted. “And then paddling back out getting that barrel again. I’m really stoked. I’m lucky Maud (Le Car) was here to run and bring mea board when I broke mine. My main focus is to re-qualify. The rookie of the year race is interesting, but I want to solidify my spot on tour first then see what happens.”

Gabriel Medina (BRA) took on two Hossegor locals as well with Jeremy Flores (FRA) and Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) in Heat 8. The Brazilian, a two-time winner at the Quiksilver Pro France, engaged in a back-and-forth battle for the lead with Flores while the Italian rookie struggled a little bit more to find waves. Ultimately, it was a backhand combination of radical turns from Medina that won him the heat.

“I love this kind of beach break,” Medina said. “You have so many options to surf. Today was a bit tricky, but I’m happy with the two waves I surfed. Both Leo (Fioravanti) and Jeremy (Flores) spend more time here than anyone on tour, so it was a tough heat but I have spent a bit of time here too and it’s one of the best places for me to get a result.”

Joel Parkinson (AUS) managed to walk through a firework-less heat against Jack Freestone (AUS) and Michel Bourez (PYF) and logically claimed a ticket for Round Three, linking together a couple of nice waves with his signature stylish approach on the clean rights.

Sebastian Zietz (HAW) put a hurdle on Connor O'Leary’s (AUS) Rookie of the Year race, pushing the talented Australian and Jadson Andre (BRA) into the elimination Round Two. Zietz’ marine sense was put to the test and the Hawaiian threaded the long rights perfectly, even finding a deep barrel section close to shore for his highest score of 8.17.

“That’s probably the easiest way to get scores, go straight through the barrel,” Zietz said. “I was kind of lost out there, with a couple giant sets and some white water all the way across. It was kind of a low-scoring heat but I found a lucky little tube and I’m glad I stayed with that one.”

Ian Gouveia (BRA) upset three-time WSL Champion and multiple event winner in France, Mick Fanning (AUS), as well as Frederico Morais (PRT) in their Round One match-up. Adrian Buchan (AUS) took out the final ticket for Round Three, sending Kolohe Andino (USA) and Ezekiel Lau (HAW) to the second round.

Round Two of the Quiksilver Pro France launched with a massive upset when talented wildcard Marc Lacomare (FRA) defeated current World No. 3 Julian Wilson (AUS). A rather slow heat saw both surfers exchange scores in the six points range. A final set came right before the buzzer to give Lacomare and Wilson a final opportunity. The Frenchman started on a big left and performed three turns to post a 7.27 and eliminate Wilson.

“World No. 1 or 2 or 3 it doesn’t really matter, all those surfers surf sogood,” Lacomare said. “I just tried to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to surf at home, and tried to have fun and be smart. Every heat I make against those guys is definitely a confidence boost, it will probably help with the last few events of the QS.”

Wilson, who won the Billabong Pro Tahiti and in August, struggled to back up the result with a deceiving 9th in Trestles and his worst finish all year with a 25th in France. With only two events left after France, the Australian’s World Title hopes could be seriously jeopardized if his direct competition,Florence and Smith, go a long way at La Graviere.

“It was a tough heat, it’s shifty out there and a long way out to sea,” Wilson explained. “I didn’t finish two waves that would have probably changed the result of that heat. I’m disappointed that I didn’t get the win, this is my poorest result this year but it’s the way it goes. The World Title is my biggest motivation and that was a bit of a dagger in my hopes for that this year. But, I’ve won those next two events before and I’ll look forward to them.”

The next upset came from Miguel Pupo (BRA), who eliminated fellow Brazilian athlete and recent winner in Trestles Filipe Toledo (BRA). Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) continued the trend of upsets in Round Two by eliminating current Rookie of the Year leader Connor O'Leary (AUS).

Frederico Morais (PRT), Kolohe Andino (USA) and Mick Fanning (AUS) took the final three heats out to move into Round Three and avoid an equal 25th finish in Hossegor.

Event officials and surfers will reconvene tomorrow at 8 a.m for a probable start of the remaining heats of the Quiksilver Pro France Round Two. The Roxy Pro France Semifinals will also be on standby.

Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France, are calling for:

Medium size NW swell will ease through Friday and fade further during the first half of Saturday as favorable wind continues. An even larger swell will fill in for Sunday, building Saturday afternoon/evening and dropping on Monday.  Another strong WNW swell looks increasingly likely for Tuesday before fading Wednesday, although wind conditions may be tricky.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be broadcast LIVE via WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and on Facebook LIVE via the WSL’s Facebook page.  Also check local listings for coverage on CBS Sports Network in the U.S., Fox Sports in Australia, ESPN in Brazil, Sky NZ in New Zealand, SFR Sports in France and Portugal, Sport TV in Portugal and the EDGEsport Network.

For all results, photos, video highlights, press releases and LIVE webcast, log on to worldsurfleague.com or the WSL mobile app.

Quiksilver Pro France Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Stuart Kennedy (AUS) 12.00, Adriano de Souza (BRA) 10.77, Conner Coffin (USA) 6.33
Heat 2: Nat Young (USA) 11.00, Bede Durbidge (AUS) 9.17, Owen Wright (AUS) 7.20 
Heat 3: Matt Wilkinson (AUS) 13.77, Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 12.50, Josh Kerr (AUS) 10.76
Heat 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 15.57, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 15.33, Julian Wilson (AUS) 9.13 
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW) 15.67, Italo Ferreira (BRA) 15.60, Keanu Asing (HAW) 5.10
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 16.10, Marc Lacomare (FRA) 12.70, Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 10.47
Heat 7: Joan Duru (FRA) 18.00, Filipe Toledo (BRA) 11.43, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 9.14
Heat 8: Gabriel Medina (BRA) 15.86, Jeremy Flores (FRA) 15.27, Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.26
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS) 13.20, Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.96, Michel Bourez (PYF) 11.40
Heat 10: Sebastian Zietz (HAW) 12.74, Jadson Andre (BRA) 10.74, Connor O'Leary (AUS) 10.57
Heat 11: Ian Gouveia (BRA) 15.57, Mick Fanning (AUS) 15.27, Frederico Morais (PRT) 12.16
Heat 12: Adrian Buchan (AUS) 15.60, Kolohe Andino (USA) 10.63, Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 10.60

Quiksilver Pro France Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Marc Lacomare (FRA) 13.27 def. Julian Wilson (AUS) 12.23
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS) 13.60 def. Keanu Asing (HAW) 11.17
Heat 3: Adriano de Souza (BRA) 15.97 def. Josh Kerr (AUS) 13.00
Heat 4: Miguel Pupo (BRA) 12.27 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.50
Heat 5: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 14.60 def. Connor O'Leary (AUS) 11.87
Heat 6: Frederico Morais (PRT) 15.26 def. Jack Freestone (AUS) 11.37
Heat 7: Kolohe Andino (USA) 13.50 def. Jadson Andre (BRA) 12.60
Heat 8: Mick Fanning (AUS) 13.20 def. Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.84

Remaining Quiksilver Pro France Round 2 Match-Ups:
Heat 9: Michel Bourez (PYF) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 
Heat 10: Jeremy Flores (FRA) vs. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 
Heat 11: Conner Coffin (USA) vs.Caio Ibelli (BRA) 
Heat 12: Bede Durbidge (AUS) vs. Wiggolly Dantas (BRA) 

Roxy Pro France Semifinal Match-Ups:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
SF 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)

SEMIFINALISTS SET AT ROXY PRO FRANCE 
- 3X WSL CHAMPION CARISSA MOORE TAKES DOWN 6X WORLD CHAMPION STEPHANIE GILMORE 
- LAKEY PETERSON ELIMINATES JEEP LEADERBOARD NO. 2 COURTNEY CONLOGUE IN QUARTERFINAL CLASH
- MORE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Current World No.1 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) continued to perform and advanced into the semifinals of the Roxy Pro France.
Credit: © WSL / Poullenot

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HOSSEGOR, France (Sunday, October 8, 2017) - The Roxy Pro France resumed in excellent conditions and ran through Rounds 3, 4 and the Quarterfinals to see the top four women emerge in clean three-to-four foot surf at La Graviere.

The first Quarterfinal match-up featured a total of nine WSL titles in an intense battle between Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Carissa Moore (HAW). The two surfers engaged in a back-and-forth exchange of the lead, each slowly improving their scoreboard until Moore dropped the hammer on the superheat, with an incredible wave scored at 9.10 in the dying moments for the win.

“That was a very stressful heat especially because there was a moment when we both weren’t catching any waves,” Moore said. “I’m just so thankful I got that last wave, at that point I know it‘s my last opportunity and I have to let go of everything and just have fun.”

Moore had previously dispatched yesterday’s top performer Silvana Lima (BRA) in their Round 4 match-up.

No. 6 on the Jeep Leaderboard Gilmore surfed against the Hawaiian for the third time in France after Round 1 and Round 3 but this time couldn’t contain the repeated assaults of the defending event champion. The Australian claimed her third equal 5th place result in France and will look for a strong finish in Hawaii to turn her season around.

“Surfing against Carissa you have to get two nines to win basically and I knew that,” Gilmore said. “I had one semi-decent score but I never really felt comfortable. It’s really disappointing to get that score and feel good about it and to paddle back out and just see Carissa stroke into the dreamiest wave, I knew it was over, she doesn’t falter under pressure like that.”

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) had an extremely close call in the second Quarterfinal against injury replacement Bianca Buitendag (ZAF). The South African’s quiet start took a turn for the better when the powerful goofyfoot scored a massive 8.67 for her backhand vertical attack on a set wave. Unfortunately the ocean went quiet and Fitzgibbons who had stayed much more active, took an important win and spot into the semifinals.

“It feels awesome to be through to the semis,” Fitzgibbons said. “Bianca kind of had the home court advantage, she’s been living here for a while and I knew she knows the shifty beachbreaks pretty well. But I could only do my best, I was making decisions under pressure, a few paid off and a few didn’t. In the end I was there and ready to surf more sets if they came, unfortunately it went a little quiet for Bianca.”

California’s Lakey Peterson (USA) and Courtney Conlogue (USA) battled in the third Quarterfinal in a battle of progression vs. power. While some of the previous heats had been slow, Peterson found a great wave right on the opening buzzer and went for an air to post a 7.83 and push the current World No. 2 against the ropes. Conlogue trailed the whole heat and despite two good efforts towards the end of the thirty-minute bout, was unable to fill the gap and get back in the lead. The result sees Peterson reach the Semifinals for the fourth time this season while Conlogue is eliminated from the event.

“Going up against Courtney who’s fighting for a World Title you kind of have to go for the knockout shot,” Peterson said. “I wasn’t really expecting to go for an air or anything on my first wave but I switched boards for the same model but epoxy and it’s got a little pop to it.”

With two event wins this season, Conlogue seemed well on her way to a maiden WSL title but a poor showing in the two European events could radically alter her chances with fellow World Title contenders and direct competition Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright (AUS) both through to the Semifinals.

“Conditions changed and I re-adjusted but probably too late,” Conlogue reflected. “I was looking for the inside waves probably a little too long and finally sat a little wider and got back in the heat. I gave it everything I had and it wasn’t enough in that heat. The season’s not over and I still have a lot to improve on, I’m not exactly where I want to be with my surfing but I’m optimistic, we still have another event.”

Tyler Wright (AUS) dominated the last heat of the day, taking on Malia Manuel (HAW) for the final spot in the Semifinals. The reigning WSL Champion looked in total control and seemed to have forgotten all about her knee injury as she showcased her powerful turns on the long walls of La Graviere.

“I do want to get rid of the brace but I’ve been advised that I can’t just yet,” Wright said. “I feel good, I’m competing sharp again and putting heats together I’ve been absolutely loving this week.”

Manuel had previously upset the local crowds by eliminating local favorite Johanne Defay (FRA) in their Round Four match-up.

“It’s so nice to have everyone down here at the beach,” Defay said. “I’m doing my own thing before my heat but coming in, I like to take my time with the people on the beach and give back a little bit. Malia had longer waves and more maneuvers, I had a good score on a single turn but my wave died after. I’m going to go home and rest for a couple of days and forget about that result, then get back to work for Maui. It’s a great event there, just between us girls and with really good waves.”

With the event forecast showing very little swell for the next two days of competition, contest officials will reconvene at 8 a.m Wednesday.

Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France, are calling for:

The opening weekend of the event (Oct 7-8) will see a modest WNW swell with clean conditions. Early to mid next week looks slow at this time with fading leftovers from the weekend swell. A larger swell looks increasingly likely for the end of next week, Wednesday afternoon through Friday, easing over the weekend of the 14th-15th. Beyond that, an even larger NW swell is possible for the very end of the waiting period.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be broadcast LIVE via WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and on Facebook LIVE via the WSL’s Facebook page.  Also check the local listings for coverage on CBS Sports Network in the U.S., Fox Sports in Australia, ESPN in Brazil, Sky NZ in New Zealand, SFR Sports in France and Portugal, Sport TV in Portugal and the EDGEsport Network.

For all results, photos, video highlights, press releases and LIVE webcast, log on to worldsurfleague.com or the WSL mobile app.

Roxy Pro France Round 3 Results:
Heat 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 12.34, Carissa Moore (HAW) 12.27, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 10.00
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.96, Keely Andrew (AUS) 12.93, Silvana Lima (BRA) 12.70
Heat 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) 12.37, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 12.20, Malia Manuel (HAW) 7.50
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 14.10, Johanne Defay (FRA) 11.17, Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 7.00

Roxy Pro France Round 4 Results:
Heat 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.00 def. Silvana Lima (BRA) 7.97
Heat 2: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 11.77 def. Keely Andrew (AUS) 11.16
Heat 3: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.13 def. Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 12.44
Heat 4: Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.60 def. Johanne Defay (FRA) 11.60

Roxy Pro France Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) 16.13 def. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.17
QF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.77 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 13.50
QF 3: Lakey Peterson (USA) 14.83 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 12.90
QF 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.47 def. Malia Manuel (HAW) 13.30

Roxy Pro France Semifinal Match-Ups:
SF 1: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
SF 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)

Quiksilver Pro France Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Adriano De Souza (BRA), Conner Coffin (USA), Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Nat Young (USA)
Heat 3: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) Caio Ibelli (BRA), Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Kanoa Igarashi (USA), Marc Lacomare (FRA)
Heat 7: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Joan Duru (FRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 8: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Michel Bourez (PYF), Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 10: Connor O'Leary (AUS), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 11: Frederico Morais (PRT), Mick Fanning (AUS), Ian Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Ezekiel Lau (HAW)

ROXY PRO FRANCE LAUNCHES IN GREAT CONDITIONS
- REIGNING WSL CHAMPION TYLER WRIGHT COMES BACK FROM MCL INJURY WITH ROUND 1 WIN 
- WORLD TITLE CONTENDERS ADVANCE TO ROUND 3
- MORE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: Carissa Moore (HAW) claimed the day's top performances in Round Two of the Roxy Pro France.
Credit: © WSL / Masurel

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HOSSEGOR, France (Saturday, October 7, 2017) - The Roxy Pro France launched today in great conditions to run Rounds 1 and 2 of competition in clean three-to-four foot surf at the main break of La Graviere. Crowds gathered on the water’s edge to witness a full day of high-performance surfing from the world’s best surfers.

French surfer Johanne Defay (FRA) took out the day’s opening heat over recent event winner in Cascais Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) and Malia Manuel (HAW), and advanced straight into Round 3. The Reunion Island athlete surfed a good lefthander and performed three backhand turns on the clean face of the wave for her best score of 7.00.

“I lost to Malia (Manuel) in Cascais and Nikki (Van Dijk) won the event so it was definitely a good win over them in that first round,” Defay said. “It was a complicated heat with not so many waves so I’m stoked to make it. I really like the power of the waves here and all the people on the beach, and it’s just so beautiful. I’m in a good mindset and really enjoying being here.”

Current No. 5 on the Jeep Leaderboard, Van Dijk, went on to be eliminated in Equal 13th in Round 2 at the hands of Bronte Macaulay (AUS) while Manuel won her heat and advances on to Round 3.

The rights started to pump as Lakey Peterson (USA) paddled out in Round 1 Heat 2 alongsidePauline Ado (FRA) and Sage Erickson (USA). Currently ninth on the Jeep Leaderboard, Peterson comes from two excellent results in California and Portugal and brimmed with confidence as she laid down her powerful carves to build a solid 15.16 heat total.

“I was really stoked to get that last 8 point ride, on the outgoing tide the waves got fun and there were some good little corners,” Peterson said. “I just tried to be ready to adapt, everyone knows the banks change a lot with the extreme tides here. There were some good lefts in the previous heats so I kept an open mind for those as well but it seemed like the rights turned on for us in that heat.”

In Heat 3, Brazil’s Silvana Lima tore the lineup apart with clean radical carves to post the round’s biggest performance and relegate the current World No. 1 Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) and event wildcard Caroline Marks (USA) to elimination Round 2. Lima’s best ride came in as an incredible 8.93 for a combination of gauges on a perfect righthander.

“It was really good to start with that wave and I felt really confident for the rest of the heat to find a second one,” Lima said. “I always love coming here to France, today we have clean super fun waves and I have other boards for when the swell picks up and we get big barrels.”

Courtney Conlogue (USA) got very busy scouring the Graviere lineup, surfing a total of nine waves to dispatch Keely Andrew (AUS) and Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) in Heat 4. The World No. 2 dominated the Round 1 heat and found herself on the best waves, surfing long rights and committing to the final big maneuvers on the closeout section.

“I’ve had a week to kind of wash that last event off and I’m feeling great,” Conlogue said. “I’ve been coming here for over ten years now and it’s a place that’s really close to my heart. I’m excited and really optimistic, a lot went down in this event last year and I’m really looking forward to this event.”

Despite being limited by an MCL injury sustained in Portugal last week, reigning WSL Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) managed to win her opening Roxy Pro France heat over Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) and Bronte Macaulay (AUS). Wright claimed her maiden world title in France last year and is still in a close race with Fitzgibbons and Conlogue with just two events remaining in the season.

“We’ve had a week now and I feel like a lot of healing has happened,” Wright admitted. “My whole week has been about healing and eating well and doing everything I can to get as much reattached to the bone as possible. I have an incredible working with me, I’m very lucky to have this entourage. I’m here to win and try to get that second world title, that’s what all this last week is about and that’s what I’m here to do.”

Six-time WSL Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) took out the final win of Round 1 over Hawaiians Carissa Moore and Coco Ho in a heated battle of big scores. Gilmore and Moore went blow for blow to post excellent rides and ultimately it was the Australian’s flow and aggressive snaps that claimed her a ticket straight into Round Three.

“There are so many awesome fans here, I looked back at the beach and there were so many people it felt like a final!” Gilmore said. “It was a tough heat, Carissa and Coco are some of my favorite surfers. I just had to wait for the best ones, that was my plan and it worked. I’m having so much fun, sometimes even a little too much and I have to move into a more serious mode. It’s the first year I’ve really worked with a coach, with Jake Patterson, and it’s good to have him there and actually strategize before heats, normally I’d just go out there and try to figure it out.”

Defending event champion Moore bounced back in Round 2 with an incredible performance to eliminate local surfer Pauline Ado (FRA). The Hawaiian surfed two waves to near-perfection to build an incredible 18.17 combined heat total.

“Conditions were just beautiful, the best we can ask for coming to France really,” Moore stated. “I had a great time, I was actually bummed I didn’t get one more just to surf and express myself. I was a little anxious because we only had one day really after Portugal to figure the spot out but I know a lot of the girls were in the same position.”

Fitzgibbons managed to escape a treacherous Round 2 match-up with event wildcard Caroline Marks (USA) as well and put on a convincing display to keep her French campaign alive. The Jeep Leader hasn’t lost before the Quarterfinals so far this season will look to post another big result in France to hold on to the rankings pole position before the final event of 2017.

“It’s interesting how conditions change every ten minutes when that tide comes in,” Fitzgibbons said. “I knew I had a tough opponent, Caroline is doing well on the QS and I’m sure she’ll be joining us next year. So I had to step it up and I’m happy to move through. We have long days here in France so you have to pace yourself and manage your energy, it’s challenging but I’m really having a lot of fun with it.”

World No. 4 Sage Erickson (USA) bowed out of competition in Round 2, eliminated by injury replacement Bianca Buitendag (ZAF). Erickson’s title race could be seriously altered with a poor result in France as the current Top 3 surfers all made their way into Round 3 of competition.

“I don’t know what I’m more frustrated about, the Round 2 loss itself or actually not being able to compete in this contest with the forecast that’s coming,” Erickson said. “There’s a certain nerve about Round 2 that’s different than any other heat, a part of it is you can see yourself exiting out early and it’s tough.”

Contest officials will reconvene at 8 a.m on Sunday to re-assess conditions for a potential start of the men’s event or the women’s third round.

Surfline, official forecasters for the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France, are calling for:

The opening weekend of the event (Oct 7-8) will see a modest WNW swell with clean conditions. Early to mid next week looks slow at this time with fading leftovers from the weekend swell. A larger swell looks increasingly likely for the end of next week, Wednesday afternoon through Friday, easing over the weekend of the 14th-15th. Beyond that, an even larger NW swell is possible for the very end of the waiting period.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be webcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com as well as the WSL app.

The Quiksilver and Roxy Pro France will be broadcast LIVE via WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and on Facebook LIVE via the WSL’s Facebook page.  Also check the local listings for coverage on CBS Sports Network in the U.S., Fox Sports in Australia, ESPN in Brazil, Sky NZ in New Zealand, SFR Sports in France and Portugal, Sport TV in Portugal and the EDGEsport Network.

For all results, photos, video highlights, press releases and LIVE webcast, log on to worldsurfleague.com or the WSL mobile app.

Roxy Pro France Round 1 Results:
Heat 1: Johanne Defay (FRA) 11.87, Malia Manuel (HAW) 10.67, Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 9.90
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA) 15.16, Pauline Ado (FRA) 11.13, Sage Erickson (USA) 8.87
Heat 3: Silvana Lima (BRA) 16.26, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.06, Caroline Marks (USA) 5.76
Heat 4: Courtney Conlogue (USA) 14.20, Keely Andrew (AUS) 12.00, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 8.74
Heat 5: Tyler Wright (AUS) 13.74, Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 12.20, Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 11.73
Heat 6: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 15.60, Carissa Moore (HAW) 15.47, Coco Ho (HAW) 10.50

Roxy Pro France Round 2 Results:
Heat 1: Malia Manuel (HAW) 15.54 def. Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW) 15.37
Heat 2: Carissa Moore (HAW) 18.17 def. Pauline Ado (FRA) 10.96
Heat 3: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 15.70 def. Caroline Marks (USA) 9.53
Heat 4: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 12.10 def. Sage Erickson (USA) 11.20
Heat 5: Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 11.30 def. Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 9.53
Heat 6: Keely Andrew (AUS) 11.44 def. Coco Ho (HAW) 11.30

Roxy Pro France Round 3 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Carissa Moore (HAW), Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)
Heat 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS), Silvana Lima (BRA)
Heat 3: Courtney Conlogue (USA), Lakey Peterson (USA), Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 4: Tyler Wright (AUS), Johanne Defay (FRA), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)

Quiksilver Pro France Round 1 Match-Ups:
Heat 1: Adriano De Souza (BRA), Conner Coffin (USA), Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
Heat 2: Owen Wright (AUS), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Nat Young (USA)
Heat 3: Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Wiggolly Dantas (BRA), Josh Kerr (AUS)
Heat 4: Julian Wilson (AUS) Caio Ibelli (BRA), Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Heat 5: John John Florence (HAW), Italo Ferreira (BRA), Keanu Asing (HAW)
Heat 6: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Kanoa Igarashi (USA), Marc Lacomare (FRA)
Heat 7: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Joan Duru (FRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 8: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Jeremy Flores (FRA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 9: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Michel Bourez (PYF), Jack Freestone (AUS)
Heat 10: Connor O'Leary (AUS), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Jadson Andre (BRA)
Heat 11: Frederico Morais (PRT), Mick Fanning (AUS), Ian Gouveia (BRA)
Heat 12: Kolohe Andino (USA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Ezekiel Lau (HAW)

ELITE WSL MEN'S & WOMEN'S CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR CLASSES DETERMINED FOR 2017
WSL CHAMPIONS FLORENCE AND WRIGHT LEAD WORLD’S BEST SURFERS NEXT SEASON
NINE COUNTRIES REPRESENTED IN 2017 BATTLE FOR THE WORLD SURFING CROWN
MORE AT WORLDSURFLEAGUE.COM

Caption: John John Florence (HAW) and Tyler Wright (AUS) will lead the men's and women's fields respectively into the 2017 Samsung Galaxy WSL Championship Tour season.

Tyler Wright (AUS), reigning WSL Women’s Champion and winner of five of 10 CT events in 2016 (including the closer at the Maui Women’s Pro), will lead the world’s best female surfers into battle next season. The 2017 WSL Top 17 is comprised of the Top 10 finishers from the 2016 Championship Tour, the Top 6 finishers (barring double qualifiers) from the 2016 Qualifying Series and the WSL Wildcard.

2016 CT Top 10 Finishers:
1 - Tyler Wright (AUS)
2 - Courtney Conlogue (USA)
3 - Carissa Moore (HAW)
4 - Tatiana Weston-Webb (HAW)
5 - Johanne Defay (FRA)
6 - Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)
7 - Malia Manuel (HAW)
8 - Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
9 - Sage Erickson (USA)
10 - Laura Enever (AUS)

Wildcard:
- Lakey Peterson (USA)

2016 Top 6 QS Finishers:
- Silvana Lima (BRA)
- Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
- Nikki Van Dijk (AUS)
- Keely Andrew (AUS)
- Coco Ho (HAW)
- Pauline Ado (FRA)

Replacements:
- Bianca Buitendag (ZAF)
- Alessa Quizon (HAW)
- Chelsea Tuach (BRB)
- Isabella Nichols (AUS)

The 2017 WSL Women’s Wildcard has been allocated to Lakey Peterson (USA).

Caption: Silvana Lima (BRA), former WSL Women's Runner-Up and perpetual danger woman, returns in 2017 as the frontrunner off the Qualifying Series.
Image: WSL / Smith

John John Florence (HAW), reigning WSL Men’s Champion, will look to defend his maiden title against the 2017 WSL Top 34 in 2017. Wrapping the 2016 season on Monday with Michel Bourez’s (PYF) victory at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons, next year’s elite men’s class has been solidified with the Top 22 finishers from the 2016 Championship Tour, the Top 10 finishers (barring double qualifiers) from the 2016 Qualifying Series and two WSL Wildcards.

Caption: Michel Bourez (PYF) capped off the 2017 season with a win at the Billabong Pipe Masters in Memory of Andy Irons rocketing him to 6th on the year-end rankings.
Image: WSL / Heff

2016 CT Top 22 Finishers:
1 - John John Florence (HAW)
2 - Jordy Smith (ZAF)
3 - Gabriel Medina (BRA)
4 - Kolohe Andino (USA)
5 - Matt Wilkinson (AUS)
6 - Michel Bourez (PYF)
7 - Kelly Slater (USA)
8 - Julian Wilson (AUS)
9 - Joel Parkinson (AUS)
10 - Filipe Toledo (BRA)
11 - Adriano de Souza (BRA)
12 - Sebastian Zietz (HAW)
13 - Josh Kerr (AUS)
14 - Adrian Buchan (AUS)
15 - Italo Ferreira (BRA)
16 - Caio Ibelli (BRA)
17 - Mick Fanning (AUS)
18 - Conner Coffin (USA)
19 - Stuart Kennedy (AUS)
20 - Kanoa Igarashi (USA)
21 - Wiggolly Dantas (BRA)
22 - Miguel Pupo (BRA)

Wildcards:
- Bede Durbidge (AUS)
- Owen Wright (AUS)

2016 Top 10 QS Finishers:
- Connor O'Leary (AUS)
- Ethan Ewing (AUS)
- Frederico Morais (PRT)
- Joan Duru (FRA)
- Leonardo Fioravanti (ITL)
- Jeremy Flores (FRA)
- Jadson Andre (BRA)
- Ian Gouveia (BRA)
- Jack Freestone (AUS)
- Ezekiel Lau (HAW)

Replacements:
- Nat Young (USA)
- Bino Lopes (BRA)
- Keanu Asing (HAW)
- Jesse Mendes (BRA)

The WSL Commissioner’s Office has allocated the two available wildcards for the 2017 WSL Top 34 class to Bede Durbidge (AUS) and Owen Wright (AUS).

Wright's acceptance of his wildcard position for 2017 is contingent upon medical evaluation and approval for competition prior to the start of the season.

Should Wright be unable to accept his position for the 2017 season, the wildcard spot will then be allocated to Alejo Muniz (BRA).

The world's best surfers will return to competition at the Quiksilver and Roxy Pro Gold Coast on March 14, 2017.

The full 2017 WSL Schedule can be found HERE

For more information, check out WorldSurfLeague.com

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO NEWS RELEASE AND HI-RES STILL IMAGES FROM TODAY

Caption: Tyler Wright meets press and family at Sydney International Airport fresh from claiming her maiden World Title in France.

Newly Crowned World Champion Tyler Wright Touches Down In Sydney

Sydney, NSW/AUS (Saturday, October 15, 2016) – Four airports and 35-odd hours after Tyler Wright woke up from her celebrations in France, the newest WSL Champion finally landed back home in Australia.

She was not only greeted by every news station in the country, but also by the entire Wright clan – Fiona, Timmy, Owen, Kirby, Mikey, their partners, their friends, their cousins and more.

This crew hasn’t been in the same room together since November 2015 – and in arrivals terminal A of Sydney’s Kingsford Smith they reunited, dressed in Wright jerseys and ready to celebrate.

Later, during the press conference, a media representative asked what it felt like, being greeted by her entire family as the new World Champion…

“You know what? It felt normal! Seeing my mum, seeing Owen, seeing my whole family there – of course I couldn’t have asked for a better welcome home. But having a World Title in my hands doesn’t change anything. We’re still the same family up to the same shenanigans, out being hooligans. I mean, look at them back there, wearing jerseys and causing a raucous! It’s a family I’m so happy I’m a part of.”

Tyler continued answering questions from the press for just under an hour, covering everything from the moment she found out that she’d won a World Title, all the way up to looking towards Maui and beyond. But the statement that stood out the most was this –

“I always knew I would win a World Title. It was just a matter of deciding I was ready to do it. I’ve grown up a lot in the last year, and because of that I decided that it was time to put my mind to it, to really throw everything into it – and now that I’m here, I feel like it’s right where I should be. It hasn’t come too soon and it hasn’t come too late.”

From the airport, Tyler and her family headed south in a limousine for a day (and night) of much deserved celebrations.


For more information on Tyler's title to www.WorldSurfLeague.com or check out theWSL app
.