Contenders tough it out

WORLD title rivals Sally Fitzgibbons and series leader Tyler Wright have surfed their way into the final eight of the US Open at California’s Huntington Beach.

Surfing in a 2-3m swell with a strong current rushing to the shoreline, the Australians performed well in tough conditions.

Fitzgibbons was all power as she put down the best wave of the day for an 8.0 to complete a best combo score of the day with 14.33 and defeat American Sage Erickson and Brazil’s Silvana Lima to storm into the last eight. Fitzgibbons had two big turns in before connecting to the inside section of the wave and ripping one final turn for the day’s best effort.

And with Wright only 1500 points ahead, Fitzgibbons said she had the world champ in her sights.

“I think the title is always the intention,” she said. “It’s about constructing the week where you can consistently build and show up. The excitement is there for me especially this year and we’re moving on through.”

Never one to shy from a contest, Wright failed to win her third-round heat and went into a fourth-round elimination battle with 25- year-old French wildcard Maud Le Car.

There Wright showed why she is the yellow jersey leader. She ripped through her second wave with a series of turns and a float to put down a 7.57 before adding a 6.17 late to win easily and keep alive her chances of holding on to the yellow jersey.

“It’s always a part of the plan to end up in the final, so I treat every heat pretty much the same and adapt in the water,” Wright said.

In the quarter-finals she will face the woman who beat her in their third-round heat, Hawaii’s Coco Ho.

Also through to the quarters is world No.4 Courtney Conlogue, who will jump Steph Gilmore. Aussie Nikki van Dijk was eliminated in the fourth round by reigning US Open champion Tatiana Weston-Webb.