Hopkins scores huge WSL upset
COMPETITORS in the World Surf League, including Paris Olympics gold medalist and 2023 WSL titleholder Caroline Marks of the United States, have been making waves at Cloud 9 in Siargao.
Photograph courtesy of WSL
SIARGAO — 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 on Saturday at the iconic Cloud 9 reef break.
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 managed 9.00 from waves scoring 5.50 and 3.50 and likewise settled for ninth place with 2,000 championship points.
Beyond her impressive performance, Simmers expressed her admiration for Cloud 9, describing the famed Siargao break as one of her favorite surfing destinations because of the technical challenges and opportunities it offers.
“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,” Simmers said.