Nov 3 (Reuters) - Brazil's three-times world champion Gabriel Medina scored a near-perfect tube to win the inaugural Philippines Pro in heavy, hollow typhoon surf on Tuesday, while California's Caitlin Simmers overcame injury to win the women's event.
For both champions, it was their first win of this year's 12-stop world tour and powered them up the rankings ahead of the season finale at Hawaii's Pipeline in December.
The right-hand reef break of Cloud 9 on Siargao Island could hardly have had a better debut on surfing's biggest stage, with consistent overhead swells courtesy of distant Typhoon In-fa lining up throughout the competition.
Big crowds watched from a tower and waded out onto the reef to get closer to the action, cheering rides and collecting broken boards when surfers wiped out.
Up against Australian tube-riding maestro Jack Robinson in the final, Medina started strongly with a nice barrel followed by some powerful turns for a 7.5 out of 10.
Robinson took the lead with a couple of mid-range tubes of his own while Medina sat and waited for just the wave he wanted - a double-overhead, bright blue peak that threw out a giant barrel that peeled perfectly down the reef.
Having lost to Robinson in the 2024 Olympics semi-final in Tahiti, Medina was in no mood to let the opportunity pass, sliding down the face and weaving through multiple sections before emerging with his arms folded across his chest for a whopping 9.43 and a 16.93 two-wave total.
Robinson fought back with a deep tube of his own, punctuating the finish with a big lay-back hack for an 8.23 and a 14.50 heat total, but could not find a wave to give him the lead.
"Yeah, that means a lot," said the 32-year-old Medina, who had finished second three times this year. "I've been trying so hard all year long, and I've been travelling a lot with my crew. I really wanted one win this year."
The victory takes Medina to second in the world rankings, trailing only countryman and reigning world championYago Dora, whom Medina beat in the semi-final.
DROP-IN COSTS MOORE THE HEAT
Simmers, 21, squeaked through her quarter-final against Portugal's Yolanda Hopkins despite picking up a paddling interference penalty and a cut to her leg after failing to get out of the way as her rival came out of a tube.
The Californian, surfing with seven stitches in her ankle, was then trailing Hawaii's world ratings leader Carissa Moore late in their semi-final before Moore dropped in without priority and picked up an interference penalty herself, costing her the heat.
In the final, the 2024 world champion Simmers got the better of the early exchanges, navigating a tricky tube and powerful end-section turn for a 6.33 out of 10 as Australia's Isabella Nichols took a couple of tumbles.
Nichols was also nursing an injury after undergoing surgery for a high ankle sprain she picked up inmaking the final in Fiji in August and had not expected to be fit for this event.
The 29-year-old Queenslander had been on a roll this event, however, picking up clean, hollow waves and she found another sweet tube for a 7-point ride to take the lead.
But Simmers fought back with another barrel-to-turn combo and survived some heavy wipeouts to end with a two-wave total of 12 to Nichols' 10.77.
"This is one of my favourite waves in the world and I think I almost was in tears paddling out for that heat because I felt the love of all the people that are watching in the water. It was really a beautiful moment," Simmers said.
Simmers jumped three places to third in the ranking, chasing Australia's reigning champion MollyPicklum and Hawaii's Moore into Pipeline.
(Reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
