The Hurley Pro Sunset Beach saw Molly Picklum and Filipe Toledo take the victories. Picklum, an up-and-coming Australian surfer, defeated USA’s Caroline Marks in the final to claim her first-ever CT win. With the victory, Picklum tied Moore for the top spot on the world rankings.
People favorite Filipe Toledo and former world champion, defeated USA’s Griffin Colapinto in the men’s final, which propelled him to the top of the CT rankings.
The events also saw some notable upsets, with eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore and five-time champion Carissa Moore falling in the round of 16 and the quarterfinals of the Hurley Pro Sunset Beach.
Additionally, second-year surfer Joao Chianca eliminated Filipe Toledo in the quarterfinals of the Billabong Pro Pipeline. All the while the 50-year-old GOAT and former Pipe champion; Kelly Slater, didn’t make it past the round of 32, after a slow heat with inconsistent waves.
Overall, the first two events of the 2023 WSL CT season provided plenty of excitement and upsets, and the surfers will now look forward to the next event in Peniche, Portugal.
