2025 MEO Rip Curl Portugal: Day Two

What's grindier than the grind?

Whatever it is, that was what surf conditions were for a good chunk of Day Two at Supertubos. The controls were set for full Changa/Q-ey grind-outs with heats decided by fractions of a point as judges attempted to sort through one and occasional two-turn waves.

Particularly for the men, where technique is more democratically distributed, shitty surf levels the field. There's more separation in the women's draw at the moment and in the completed Round of 16 the plus-three point spread that Caity Simmers, Erin Brooks, and Caz Marks laid down on their opponents (and almost the rest of the field) is a fair indication of that spread.

Caity Simmers (WSL/Masurel)

Women eliminated for a last place finish were Brisa Henessey and Tati Weston-Webb. Tati is in big trouble, sitting in 17th place - or last place. Just behind second-last placed Sally Fitz. Sally was eliminated today in the Round of 16 by Tyler Wright and now takes a last and two second-last place finishes into stop four at El Salvador. Has Sally got another go round on the Challenger in her?

On the men's side of the draw, eliminated and sent packing were wildcard Fred Morais, rookie George Pittar, former event champion and final fiver Joao Chianca, and reborn Brazilian Ian Gouveia. All grindy as hell heats which could have gone anywhere right up to the final hooter. For instance, the difference between last placed Pittar and first placed Sammy Pupo was less than half a point, which is a rounding error.

Chianca was in an advancing position with a minute remaining until Seth Moniz sparked up a waist high left with a two-piece and a soda combo. He needed a four and change and judges gave him a 4.67.

Joao Chianca (WSL/Masurel)

It was tense competitive surfing watching rookies battle for their livelihoods. Made more enjoyable by a new breed of rookie ready to embrace the new Hunger Games aspect of pro surfing. We should clarify that pro surfing is not a combat sport. It does have its moments of death or glory at Pipe and Teahupoo but it's not UFC. Competitors aren't locked in a cage with someone trying to beat the shit out of them while a hungry crowd bays for blood. Nonetheless, that combat sport mindset does seem a little spicier than the California therapy speak/journal/#blessed one which has become a defacto norm on tour.

Rookie Marco Mignot made the doctrine explicit after his tight Elimination Round victory.

“You gotta be a warrior," he said, adding “I'm here to take what's mine."

Try and imagine those words coming out of John Florence's mouth or even prime Gabe Medina (OK, we know Gabe was at least thinking it).

Interviewer AJ McCord tried to get him back onto more comfortable psycho-babble territory but Mignot was not to be stopped.

“There's no more feeling-the-rookie vibe," he said. It wasn't quite the spring of 1940 and the Battle for France when Mignot invoked a hypothetical kid who had travelled a thousand clicks with his Mum to watch him compete but the sentiment was similar: “If I have to, I'll die fighting. I'll die trying."

I hope every kid without wealthy parents who aspires to be a pro surfer saw that and absorbed the lesson. If you can't rock and roll, then hit the bricks and get some useful tickets. Pro surfing ain't the gravy train it once was.

Marco Mignot (WSL/Masurel)

The surf improved by degrees for the women's Round of 16. Tide came in, wind stayed light. It was more surfable than the shut downs the men endured. The biggest scores went to Caz, Caity, and Erin, with Gabby Bryan close behind, though Molly Picklum did the best surfing for mine. Her full power gouges were easily enough to get past Luana Silva, which will put her up against Tyler Wright in the quarters.

I see evolution in Tyler's surfing; there's more willingness to loose the fins, as evidenced in her 6.17. Third in the world and with another Quarter Final finish at least - Tyler is flying. A third world title would be against the run of play considering the dominance and the almost manifest destiny of Simmers, Brooks, Marks, Pickles etc.

Tyler Wright (WSL/Masurel)

The old guard can bring smarts and greater athleticism into match-ups with these kids - at least potentially offsetting some of the advantages in better technique - but on a head-high beachie with whackable lips the performance differential is going to be stark. That was the case with Yolanda Hopkins and Lakey Peterson who got thoroughly schooled by Caity and Erin Brooks. Caity gave us a full repertoire of Dane Reynolds-style laybacks, airs, and beautiful turns. Brooks doesn't have the effortless style of Simmers but brings in more aggression through every turn. And she pumps iron like Italo. It's gonna be a fun Quarter match-up, particularly if they can jag some epic Supertubos.

Erin Brooks (WSL/Masurel)

Which they may just do. I've only dabbled in the North Atlantic. It's a surprise to discover it's the stormiest ocean. Pardon the disrespect, but from an Indo-Pacific perspective it's always seemed like a pissant little moat between Europe and the USA. Stand on the beach at Supertubos and with a decent offshore wind you could throw a rock and land it on the Statue of Liberty. This narrow little moat is stacked with storms right now and one is heading straight for Portugal.

Right at present, this storm is just far enough south and with a weird little trough line in advance of it that it may generate an offshore outflow. With a rapidly rising swell it could be insane. Thats not set in stone - the WSL curse may yet play out - but there is a chance of a Tahiti Olympic swell event, where a closely approaching storm supplied pumping surf and gave a short window of offshore conditions before it hit.

Might be worth having a tune-in tonight to potentially catch one of those rare days when pro surfers have to channel their warrior spirits.*

// STEVE SHEARER

*Australian viewers will have to be committed as the combo of arriving swell and agreeable wind isn't forecast till late in the day - i.e middle of the night Australian time.

MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Women’s Elimination Round Results:
HEAT 1: Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 8.50 DEF. Bella Kenworthy (USA) 8.33, Brisa Hennessy (CRC) 5.30
HEAT 2: Luana Silva (BRA) 9.80 DEF. Lakey Peterson (USA) 9.60, Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) 8.56

MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Women’s Round of 16 Results:
HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) 13.24 DEF. Isabella Nichols (AUS) 7.90
HEAT 2: Johanne Defay (FRA) 9.37 DEF. Vahine Fierro (FRA) 9.00
HEAT 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) 11.03 DEF. Luana Silva (BRA) 8.87
HEAT 4: Tyler Wright (AUS) 10.67 DEF. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 6.54
HEAT 5: Caitlin Simmers (USA) 13.24 DEF. Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 8.03
HEAT 6: Erin Brooks (CAN) 13.67 DEF. Lakey Peterson (USA) 10.34
HEAT 7: Bella Kenworthy (USA) 11.33 DEF. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) 8.37
HEAT 8: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 12.06 DEF. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) 12.00

MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Men’s Elimination Round Results:
HEAT 1: Deivid Silva (BRA) 12.43 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 9.73, Frederico Morais (POR) 8.07
HEAT 2: Marco Mignot (FRA) 9.40 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 8.50, Joao Chianca (BRA) 8.37
HEAT 3: Liam O'Brien (AUS) 11.63 DEF. Edgard Groggia (BRA) 11.27, Ian Gouveia (BRA) 6.80
HEAT 4: Samuel Pupo (BRA) 11.50 DEF. Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) 11.33, George Pittar (AUS) 11.06

MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Johanne Defay (FRA)
HEAT 2: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Erin Brooks (CAN)
HEAT 4: Bella Kenworthy (USA) vs. Gabriela Bryan (HAW)

MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented By Corona Cero Men’s Round of 32 Matchups:
HEAT 1: Jack Robinson (AUS) vs. Ian Gentil (HAW)
HEAT 2: Crosby Colapinto (USA) vs. Liam O'Brien (AUS)
HEAT 3: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 4: Jake Marshall (USA) vs. Imaikalani deVault (HAW)
HEAT 5: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Gatien Delahaye (FRA)
HEAT 6: Connor O'Leary (JPN) vs. Cole Houshmand (USA)
HEAT 7: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
HEAT 8: Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Alan Cleland (MEX)
HEAT 9: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Jorgann Couzinet (FRA)
HEAT 10: Ramzi Boukhiam (MAR) vs. Joel Vaughan (AUS)
HEAT 11: Rio Waida (INA) vs. Deivid Silva (BRA)
HEAT 12: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Matthew McGillivray (RSA)
HEAT 13: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Marco Mignot (FRA)
HEAT 14: Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW)
HEAT 15: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Jackson Bunch (HAW)
HEAT 16: Barron Mamiya (HAW) vs. Edgard Groggia (BRA)