Women’s QS6,000 Finals
An incredible day of action from an all Championship Tour (CT) affair in the women’s Qualifying Series (QS) 6,000 event and big performances from the juniors made it entertaining for all watching. The fifth annual Los Cabos Open of Surf witnessed some of the best conditions in years throughout the event and, despite some inconsistency today, provided plenty of opportunity for competitors to showcase their talents.
It was a long overdue win for Silvana Lima after earning two runner-up results at Zippers since 2014 and always finding her place in finals day each year. The Brazilian’s fast-paced, aggressive surfing is a perfect suit to the Zippers and she showed that with multiple maneuvers in a tight space. The 6,000 points pushes Lima into the top three on the QS ratings before heading back to Brazil for some time away from the jersey.
“I feel so happy, I can’t thank everyone from here enough for all their support over the years so this is for all of them,” the Brazilian Lima said. “Bronte is such an amazing surfer and it was great to surf against her in that Final. That was the first time I wasn’t nervous out there and just kept telling myself to surf my best, and that’s all I needed to do.”
It was a long overdue win for Lima after earning two runner-up results at Zippers since 2014 and always finding her place in finals day each year. The 6,000 points pushes Lima into the top three on the QS ratings before heading back to Brazil for some time away from the jersey.
“I feel so happy, I can’t thank everyone from here enough for all their support over the years so this is for all of them,” Lima said. “Bronte is such an amazing surfer and it was great to surf against her in that Final. That was the first time I wasn’t nervous out there and just kept telling myself to surf my best, and that’s all I needed to do.”
We saw multiple, big performances from Californian Sage Erickson who lit up the scoreboard with an excellent 8.00 in the Quarterfinals, and found another 8.00 in the Semifinals against event standout Hawaiian surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb.
“That heat against Tati was always going to be tough,” Erickson added. “She doesn’t fall much and she’s a super strong competitor. To get past her is a big hurdle and I got fourth in my first heat last year so this is a big improvement from that.”
Dominic Barona (ECU) earned runner-up in Los Cabos last year and was back in form once more — taking down Hawaiian Coco Ho with a clutch 8.17 in the dying minutes of Round Six. However, in a Final rematch from 2016, Australian surfer Bronte Macaulay showcased her dominance once again with an excellent 8.33 to solidify her spot into the Semifinals and eliminated the darkhorse.
“I love Dominic, she’s always in high spirits and has a great crew around her — and she’s obviously a very good surfer,” Macaulay said. “It was a pretty slow heat so that was scary because I knew she could get an 8.00 on any wave. But, my dad helps keeps things quite simple and just where to be in the lineup. It’s great to have him with me and coaching me every step of the way.”
Women’s Pro Junior Finals
An incredible finish to Summer Macedo’s 2017 Los Cabos Open Surf campaign came with a deserving win and saved the best for last. The 16-year-old earned a near-perfect 9.93, matching the event’s highest single-scoring wave, to claim her first Los Cabos title. One of Maui’s top talents won’t walk away with any points being out of region, but can take this confidence and a well-earned $2,500 for her dominating performance.
It was a stacked international final featuring some of the world’s best up-and-coming talents including reigning World Junior Champion Australian Macy Callaghan, former CT wildcard Caroline Marks (USA), and current North America No. 1 Alyssa Spencer (USA). But, Macedo continued on her forehand attack and lit up Zippers one last time when it mattered most.
“To win the Pro Junior and test my abilities against some of the world’s best juniors feels amazing,” Summer Macedo said. “In that heat Macy Callaghan started off really strong and I knew I needed the best wave out here. I wanted to stay in sync and find that one wave, there’s been that one in every heat and I had to be on it. I love this wave and felt really in rhythm with it the whole event so I couldn’t be happier. Now I’ll be back and forth between California and Maui to spend time at home while prepping for some amateur events and the Supergirl Pro. I’m just beyond excited to win this event and know I can compete against these girls at a high level.”
Los Cabos Open of Surf Women’s QS6,000 Finals Result:
1 – Silvana Lima (BRA) 15.84 $10,000
2 – Bronte Macaulay (AUS) 11.50 $5,000
Los Cabos Open of Surf Women’s Pro Junior Finals Result:
1 – Summer Macedo (HAW) 17.26 $2,000
2 – Alyssa Spencer (USA) 14.80 $900
3 – Macy Callaghan (AUS) 12.83 $600
4 – Caroline Marks (USA) 8.50 $500
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com