Mighty Matt Kaps King Kelly

GOAT EYED: Kelly Slater looks a bit pensive after losing to young McGillivray. Photo WSL / Bielmann

Solid 10-15ft surf greeted the contest, which is presented by SHISEIDO, for the second stop on the WSL CT after four-consecutive lay days. In the men’s Opening Round 1 ahead of a week of promising swell, replacement Barron Mamiya (HAW) and CT rookie Callum Robson (AUS) upset Slater to send the recent Pipeline winner into the treacherous Elimination Round.

Here the 11x WSL Champion came out swinging against wildcard Koa Smith (HAW) and injury replacement Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) with a 6.67 to put pressure on the heat leader Smith at the halfway mark. However, McGillivray’s impeccable forehand and positioning for time behind the curtain earned him a 7.67 under the five-minute mark to steal a heat win from Slater. In second place, Slater also advanced and eliminated Smith from the draw.

Two twists of cruel fate have befallen McGillivray. First he fell in the day’s opening heat against his compatriot Jordy Smith (ZAF), again finding himself in the same heat as the only other Saffa on tour to relegate him to the elimination round where thankfully he came back against Slater. But now McGillivray faces Slater in a one-one-one elimination in the Round of 32!

SUNSET SHRED: Jordy was pulling off robustly ambitous moves out there. Photo WSL / Heff

For Jordy, it was all systems go. He matched the ocean’s power with his own in the first heat, pushing the limits on a massive layback snap and a big re-entry to post the day and the event’s first excellent score of 8.00. Smith, who has won a Qualifying Series event at Sunset before, took a first to advance straight into the Round of 32, along with second placed Ryan Callinan (AUS).

“It’s definitely reassuring that my surfing suits this wave,” said Smith. “I’ve had some great success out here right from the very first time I surfed in that event. But this is a whole separate deal, coming up against the best surfers in the world you just got to lay it all on the line.”

Two-time World Champion John John Florence (HAW) advanced first out of his opening matchup at Sunset, drawing his signature long carves on the open face for two good scores and the win. Behind him the battle between Owen Wright (AUS) and Ethan Ewing (AUS) came down to the final second. There were fireworks by Ewing, who started late, on a bomb where he committed to two massive turns to take second, advancing ahead of his compatriot.

LIP SKATING: Italo Ferreira has come out of the blocks firing in 2022. Photo WSL / Bielmann

A matchup of heavy-hitters in Heat 5 between World Champion Italo Ferreira (BRA) and Hawaii's Ezekiel Lau and Billy Kemper produced highlights and came down to the wire. Ferreira controlled his fate from the get-go with the biggest scores early and a battle ensued between Lau and Kemper, eventually going Lau’s way with a buzzer-beater to finally take first place.

Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) put together a solid performance in the following matchup. Igarashi seemed in total control of the rogue sets at Sunset to post his own 8 point ride, backed up by a 7.33. The Japanese surfer’s wave selection was perfect as he made it look very easy to navigate the big-water lineup at Sunset.

Upsets continued later in the day with current World #2 Seth Moniz (HAW) bested by CT veterans Kolohe Andino (USA) and Nat Young (USA). Andino took control of the affair with powerful flow through two major maneuvers to earn a 7.17 as Young’s backhand garnered a 6.00 to put Moniz in the treacherous third-place position from which he couldn’t recover. This marked Andino’s first heat win of the year as the former World Title threat looked to rebound after an early exit at Pipeline.

SETH SIDE: Seth Moniz salvaged a Round 1 defeat to move into the Round of 32. Photo WSL / Heff

Moniz recovered from his first heat and found himself locked into another battle with Brazilian duo Caio Ibelli and Miguel Pupo during his Elimination Round. The ocean became unruly as sets grew even bigger heading into the final minutes of the heat in which Ibelli had control over with Moniz securing his place over Pupo and saving himself from early elimination.

Big Wave Champion Kemper felt right at home as he battled Australians Wright and Morgan Cibilic in Heat 2 of the Elimination Round. Maui, Hawaii’s own unleashed his big forehand to claim a 7.93 over the CT veteran Wright and newcomer, 2021 World #5, Cibilic. In a low-scoring affair, Wright’s interference on Kemper proved to be too much to overcome as time expired.

“These are the nitty-gritty days at Sunset Beach,” said Kemper. “It’s crazy. Fifteen minutes feels like so long in a heat, you feel like you’ve wasted the heat. But, I felt calm. I’ve been working a lot. I have my son here, my wife’s over at Pupukea watching with my other boys and just feel really comfortable at home. I’m not out here trying to qualify or win a World Title, I’m just trying to win in my own backyard and really enjoy every minute of it, and being able to compete with the world’s best. Owen, Morgan, I look up to these guys. As much as I’m a surfer, I’m also a surf fan and I love what they do on Tour and it’s an honor to share the ocean with them.”

MIGHTY MATT: McGillivray will have to overcome Kelly's wiles twice in a row. Photo WSL / Heff

Men’s Opening Round 1 Results
HEAT 1: Jordy Smith (ZAF) 12.50 DEF. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 8.33, Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) 6.84
HEAT 2: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 15.33 DEF. Lucca Mesinas (PER) 10.17, Caio Ibelli (BRA) 7.64
HEAT 3: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 11.40 DEF. Callum Robson (AUS) 9.83, Kelly Slater (USA) 8.94
HEAT 4: Jadson Andre (BRA) 11.50 DEF. Conner Coffin (USA) 9.10, Jordan Lawler (AUS) 7.90
HEAT 5: Ezekiel Lau (HAW) 12.43 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 11.67, Billy Kemper (HAW) 9.86
HEAT 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA) DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) , Kai Lenny (HAW)
HEAT 7: Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 14.76 DEF. Samuel Pupo (BRA) 9.00, Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 8.43
HEAT 8: John John Florence (HAW) 12.83 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 11.20, Owen Wright (AUS) 9.84
HEAT 9: Jackson Baker (AUS) 10.77 DEF. Deivid Silva (BRA) 9.63, Griffin Colapinto (USA) 8.73
HEAT 10: Kolohe Andino (USA) 12.20 DEF. Nat Young (USA) 10.93, Seth Moniz (HAW) 7.97
HEAT 11: Jake Marshall (USA) 13.27 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 12.40, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 5.87
HEAT 12: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 9.33 DEF. Frederico Morais (PRT) 8.43, Connor O'Leary (AUS) 1.330

Men’s Elimination Round Results
HEAT 1: Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) 13.57 DEF. Kelly Slater (USA) 13.00, Koa Smith (HAW) 12.77
HEAT 2: Billy Kemper (HAW) 11.66 DEF. Morgan Cibilic (AUS) 6.43, Owen Wright (AUS) 5.67
HEAT 3: Connor O'Leary (AUS) 13.54 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 12.17, Jordan Lawler (AUS) 6.60
HEAT 4: Caio Ibelli (BRA) 10.70 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 9.26, Miguel Pupo (BRA) 6.830

Women’s Opening Round 1 Matchups
Heat 1: Johanne Defay (FRA), Gabriela Bryan (HAW), Molly Picklum (AUS)
Heat 2: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Malia Manuel (HAW), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW), Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW), Moana Jones Wong (HAW)
Heat 4: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Brisa Hennessy (CRI), Luana Silva (HAW)
Heat 5: Lakey Peterson (USA), Isabella Nichols (AUS), Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Heat 6: Tyler Wright (AUS), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), India Robinson (AUS)4

Men’s Round of 32 Matchups
HEAT 1: Conner Coffin (USA) vs. Caio Ibelli (BRA)
HEAT 2: Kolohe Andino (USA) vs. Lucca Mesinas (PER)
HEAT 3: Jordy Smith (ZAF) vs. Jackson Baker (AUS)
HEAT 4: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Ezekiel Lau (HAW)
HEAT 5: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Barron Mamiya (HAW)
HEAT 6: Deivid Silva (BRA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS)
HEAT 7: Morgan Cibilic (AUS) vs. Nat Young (USA)
HEAT 8: Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Joao Chianca (BRA)
HEAT 9: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Billy Kemper (HAW)
HEAT 10: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 11: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Connor O'Leary (AUS)
HEAT 12: John John Florence (HAW) vs. Jake Marshall (USA)
HEAT 13: Kelly Slater (USA) vs. Matthew McGillivray (ZAF)
HEAT 14: Jack Robinson (AUS) vs. Callum Robson (AUS)
HEAT 15: Frederico Morais (PRT) vs. Jadson Andre (BRA)
HEAT 16: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Imaikalani deVault (HAW)