Portugal’s Hopkins ousts American star in World Surf League at Cloud 9

MANILA — World no. 14 Yolanda Hopkins pulled off a major reversal, knocking out world no. 3 Gabriela Bryan to advance to the quarterfinals of the inaugural World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour Philippines Pro at the iconic Cloud 9 reef break, Saturday in Siargao.

Hopkins came through in Heat 2 of the women’s competition, posting a combined score of 10.10 from waves worth 5.27 and 4.83 to eliminate the highly-ranked American and arrange a quarterfinal showdown with World No. 6 Caitlin Simmers.

Bryan finished ninth with a total of 7.00, combining scores of 4.00 and 3.00 to collect 2,000 championship points.

The competition unfolded under four- to six-foot waves, giving the world’s best surfers challenging conditions to display their skills, while calm winds helped maintain a steady lineup.

Also making her way into the quarterfinals was Simmers, who dominated fellow American and World No. 11 Caroline Marks in their opening-round encounter.

Simmers posted an impressive 15.17 on a 9.00 and a 6.17.

Marks could only manage 9.00 from waves scoring 5.50 and 3.50 and likewise settled for ninth place with 2,000 championship points.

“Honestly, I keep telling people it’s one of my favorite waves on the planet because it’s just really tight, and you kind of have to do some exciting things in the spaces you get. It’s pretty hard to just do your stock-standard couple of turns on it,” said Simmers of the Siargao break.

She also singled out the wave’s end section as a promising spot for aerial moves, expressing hope that the world’s top female surfers would take advantage of the opportunity to showcase their skills.

“I think I’m just hoping all the girls do airs because these are the best surfers in the world, best women in the world. And I know every single one of them can do an air on that end section. It’s just a matter of timing, really,” she said.