A thriller final between Frenchwoman Johanne Defay and Hawaiian Tatiana Weston-Webb wrapped up the inaugural Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro Women’s QS6000 on Sunday.
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After an incredible four days of competition, Defay found herself up against her friend, Weston-Webb, in the final as Birubi Beach served up clean two-to-three foot waves.
The Championship Tour competitor final saw the lead swapping back and forth between the two.
Weston-Webb held on to the advantage for the majority of time with a heat total of 14.43 (out of a possible 20).
Only needing a mid-range score with under five minutes left, Defay took off on a long right-hander and laid a huge layback snap and finished off with a closeout re-entry.
The judges loved it and scored her a 9.07 to boost her winning heat total to 17.74, leaving Defay to take the win and the top spot for the 2017 Women’s Qualifying Series.
“This feels great to get another win this year,” Defay said.
“My last few events on the CT haven’t been great so I came here to surf some heats, get some scores and build my confidence.
“I didn’t have much pressure on me because I’m pretty safe on the CT so that definitely helped me relax during my heats and just have fun.
“I’m so happy to come here and surf such great waves, it is a beautiful place.”
Coming into the 2017 QS season, Defay had never taken out a major event. Now at the end of the season, she has had three QS6000 final appearances and has two wins under her belt - at Port Stephens and at Surfest in Newcastle earlier in the year.
“It is so important for the women to be able to finish off the year with a big QS like this,” Defay said.
“Even for the CT surfers, it means a lot for us to be able to come to these events as the standard is so high.
“Without it, the opportunities would not exist for the women QS surfers. I had never won a QS and now I have won two in the same area, which is really special.”
Weston-Webb was a standout all event and looked destined to take the win when she opened up the final so strong.
Although Defay overtook her in the end, the powerful goofy-foot was over the moon to have come and surfed the beautiful beaches of Port Stephens.
“It’s been an awesome week here,” Weston-Webb said.
“At the beginning of the year I didn’t think I would be here chasing points on the QS, but here I am. It’s a good feeling though to make the final and know how well I surfed and know I have re-qualified, I can head to Maui for the final CT with confidence.”
Having had a below par year on the CT for her standards, Weston-Webb was relying on QS events to guarantee her spot on the 2018 CT.
She along with all of the competitors were all too aware of the hard work that went into this event and was thankful for everyone’s efforts.
“Everyone was so excited at the start of the year when we saw the final QS6000 on the schedule so when we heard it wasn’t going to happen we were really disappointed,” Weston-Webb said.
“It is amazing that everyone got together and worked so hard and put in money to ensure the event would remain, we are all so appreciative.”
After six years at the top tier of competitive surfing, Kiwi Paige Hareb had fallen off the tour and spent the last three years fighting to get back on.
After a great competitive season on the QS Hareb needed a strong result at Birubi to return to the CT.
After being eliminated in fifth, her fate was in the hands of Weston-Webb who, after beating Macy Callaghan in the semifinal, gifted Hareb her return to the ‘dream tour’.
“I was so shattered after my loss I came home to watch the event online,” Hareb said.
“That heat was so hard to watch and I just felt sick for the last few minutes, it just took forever. Once it was over and I knew I had qualified I just burst into tears.
“It has been an intense week and a long year so I’m glad it’s over and I’m back. I have matured a lot over the last few years so am stoked to get back on and tackle it with a different approach and hopefully stay there.”
Before the women hit the water for the final, the Men’s QS1000 final took place. It was a battle of the form surfers as Margaret River’s Jacob Willcox came up against Burleigh Heads youngster Liam O’Brien.
It was a heated battle as the two went blow-for-blow, both posting solid scores. O’Brien surfed fast and loose, mixing power with progression to post a near excellent heat total of 15.60.
Willcox fought back surfing with aggression but was unable to find the score he needed to win. O’Brien held the lead and went on to take the biggest win of his career.
“I’m so happy - I can barely speak right now,” O’Brien said. “I didn’t really expect much from myself at this event. I just came to have fun and surf heats so to find myself in the final was amazing.
“Everyone in the competition was surfing so well but I just seemed to get a lot of the good waves. I’m really stoked with this win, it’s definitely the highlight of my career so far.”
Fresh off a win at the Phillip Island Pro QS1000 earlier this week, Willcox came into this event as the man to beat.
While the hope of going back-to-back finish fell short for the young West Australian, his performance in the last two events has increased his rank enough to put him into the QS10,000 events in Hawaii later this month.
He will head to Hawaii leading the WSL Australia / Oceania QS rankings 23 spots higher than he was this time last week.
“I’m really disappointed to fall short today,” Willcox said.
“I’m sure once I have a while to think about it I’ll feel better about these two events. Liam (O’Brien) is a really deserving winner, he surfed great all week so I’m happy for him.
“I wasn’t thinking about my ranking much coming into these events so to find out I can enter Hawaii is great. This has given me some confidence so I guess I will go home and prepare for Hawaii and hopefully get some amazing waves over there.”
Joining the Men’s QS1000 and Women’s QS6000 components of the event was the Port Stephens Women’s Challenge and the PRD Port Stephens and Kaos Surf Cadet Cup.
Both events gave amateur women and promising junior stars the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the biggest names in women’s surfing.
Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro results
Women’s QS6000
Final
- Johanne Defay (France)
- Tatiana Weston-Webb (Hawaii)
Semi-Finals
Semi Final 1
- Johanne Defay
- Holly Wawn (Newport, NSW)
Semi-Final 2
- Tatiana Weston-Webb
- Macy Callaghan (Shelly Beach, NSW)
Men’s QS1000
Final
- Liam O’Brien (Burleigh, Qld)
- Jacob Willcox (Margaret River, WA)
Semi-Finals
Semi-Final 1
- Jacob Willcox
- Jared Hickel (Cronulla, NSW)
Semi Final 2
- Liam O’Brien
- Callum Robson (Evans Head, NSW)
PRD Port Stephens and Kaos Surf Cadet Cup
Under 10 Boys
- Phoenix Visscher (Redhead)
- Felix Byrnes (Merewether)
- Ocean Lancaster (Merewether)
- Ben Zanatta Creagh (Dee Why)
- Tamaroa Herft (Gerringong)
Under 12 Girls
- Shyla Short (Austinmer)
- Zahlia Short (Austinmer)
- Jada Thomas (Barrack Point)
- Bronte Herft (Gerrinong)
Under 12 Boys
- Jarvie Robson (Bulli)
- Jai Robson (Bulli)
- Billy Haoui (Narrabeen)
- Jimmi Hill (Port Stephens)
Under 14 Girls
- Cedar Leigh Jones (Whale Beach)
- Ellie Harrison (Barwon Heads)
- Gabi Spake (Collaroy)
- Lillian Young (Maclean)
Under 14 Boys
- Jarvis Earle (Cronulla)
- Marlon Harrison (Coolangatta)
- Dembe Ryan (Lennox Head)
- Nate Hopkins (Noraville)
Under 16 Girls
- Gabriela Bryan (Hawaii)
- Daniella Rosas (Peru)
- Carly Shanahan (Wooli)
- Sino Matsuda (Japan)
Under 16 Boys
- Jed Ashton (Bulli)
- Grayson Hinrichs (North Bondi)
- Arch Whiteman (Avalon)
- Ethan Hartge (Port Stephens)
Port Stephens Women’s Challenge
- Gabriela Bryan (Hawaii)
- Sara Wakita (Japan)
- Kiara Meredith (Barrack Heights)
- Piper Harrison (Coolangatta)
Update, Sunday 4pm:
Johanne Defay from France has won the inaugural Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro Women’s QS6000 while Australian Liam O’Brien took out the QS10000.
Defay defeated Tatiana Weston-Webb (Hawaii) in the final at Birubi Beach on Sunday afternoon. Earlier, O’Brien beat Jacob Wilcox in the Men’s QS1000.
Earlier, Sunday 3.30pm:
France's Johanne Defay and Hawaiian Tatiana Weston-Webb will battle it out for the inaugural Port Stephens Toyota NSW Pro crown.
The two will face each other in the final of the women's QS6000 at Birubi Beach on Sunday afternoon.
It comes after the quarter finals where Australian Holly Wawn beat Teresa Bonvalot (Portugal) 12.23 to 2.17, Defay beating Paige Hareb (New Zealand) 15.00 to 12. 34 Macy Callaghan (Australia) defeating Vahine Fierro (French Polynesia) 11.30 to 11.27 and Weston-Webb beating Bronte Macaulay (Australia) 16.10 to 14.67.
In the semi finals Defay beat Wawn 14.50 to 13.67 and Weston-Webb defeated Callaghan 12.33 to 11.73.
Winners of the open women and PRD and Koas Cadet Cup were awarded trophies about 2pm on Sunday.
More to come.