Gilmore is left to fly the flag for Australia
SIX-TIME world champion Stephanie Gilmore is Australia’s last hope for the women’s crown at the Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach event.
Gilmore handled the challenging conditions at Winkipop yesterday with powerful turns and control for a 13.36 combined score over American Sage Erickson’s 11.07.
The Tweed surfer will be up against American rookie Caroline Marks in the semi-finals.
“It is weird seeing all the top seeds fall but kind of awesome at the same time,” Gilmore said.
“You have to capitalise on these moments. The pressure is really on everyone because you have to rise to the occasion, as well.
“I will see what I can do with this little opportunity and try to make the most.”
American Tatiana WestonWebb continued her run at the event by taking out Australian Nikki Van Dijk in the quarterfinals.
With Van Dijk out, Victorians will have to wait another year to see if one of their own will ring the event’s famed bell trophy, a feat that hasn’t been achieved since Gail Couper did in 1976.
In another quarter-final, two former Rip Curl Pro Bells Beach winners, Carissa Moore (US) and Silvana Lima (Brazil), battled head-to-head.
The two went score-for-score, exchanging the lead until the dying minutes of the heat.
Needing a 5.53, Lima took a wave in the final seconds of the heat to post a 7.27 and win her spot in the semi-finals.