Oh yes, surfing season has officially kicked off! Maybe not for us yet (actually for sure or who’s going in the 5° water these days?! Tell us if you do and we’ll get in touch for a little story on defeating the cold!), but for sure the elite of ASP Women’s World Tour surfers, who are battling it out for the first WCT contest of 2013, the Roxy Pro Gold Coast in Australia’s Superbank spot in Queensland. The quarterfinalists are already decided as you can read in the official ASP report below – and watch in the highlights clip above! Stay tuned for more action following tonight, when the live webcast on roxylive.com goes back on!

QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:

Heat 1: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Courtney Conlogue (USA)
Heat 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Alana Blanchard (HAW)
Heat 3: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)

Queensland’s world-famous Superbank delivered clean three-to-four foot (1 – 1.5 metre) waves today as the Roxy Pro Gold Coast presented by Land Rover completed three rounds of competition.

Event No. 1 of 7 on the 2013 ASP Women’s World Championship Tour (WCT), the Roxy Pro Gold Coast hosts the world’s best female surfers in their opening stop of the season and the ASP Top 17 ramped up their respective performance levels today as the event field was narrowed down to the final eight surfers.

Carissa Moore (HAW), 20, 2011 ASP Women’s World Champion, reasserted her dominance amongst the world’s best female surfers today, posting the day’s high heat total of 18.43 out of a possible 20 for an unmatched display of forehand prowess during her Round 3 heat.

“The waves are really fun out there right now,” Moore said. “All the girls on tour rip and you can see it when they’re given the opportunity in good waves. Stoked to move through to the next round in the event and hopefully the waves keep delivering.”

Moore will take on Pauline Ado (FRA), 22, in the Quarterfinals when competition resumes.

Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 25, reigning five-time ASP Women’s World Champion and defending Roxy Pro Gold Coast winner, continued her hometown run today, posting a Round 3 win and advancing through to the Quarterfinals.

“No easy heats these days,” Gilmore said. “Feeling very good on the equipment and the waves have been very fun for us to start the year in. Excited to see what the coming days bring and hope I can keep progressing.”

Bianca Buitendag (ZAF), 19, 2013 ASP Dream Tour rookie, caused a massive upset today, besting her more experienced opponents in Round 3 to advance directly through to the Quarterfinals of the Roxy Pro.

“Sally (Fitzgibbons) and Laura (Enever) are such good surfers so I did not take them lightly,” Buitendag said. “The waves are really fun right now though and I was able to get a couple that stood up well on the bank. It’s my first event as a WCT surfer so to be through to the Quarterfinals is a really good result for me already.”

Buitendag was joined by returning surfer Alana Blanchard (HAW), 22, who caused a huge upset in defeating fellow Hawaiian Coco Ho (HAW), 21, in a high-scoring Round 4 affair.

Tyler Wright (AUS), 18, into her third year amongst the women’s elite tour and once again announced her intentions today during Round 1, posting an emphatic win to advance directly through to the Quarterfinals.

“It felt good to go out there today and put in a couple good heats,” Wright said. “I felt like I surfed well yesterday but Coco (Ho) got me in Round 1 so I’m happy to get some wins under my belt today and surf well. The field is so tough now but I’m through to the Quarterfinals and I’m hoping to keep the momentum going.”

When women’s competition resumes, up first will be Tyler Wright (AUS), 18, and Courtney Conlogue (USA), 20, in Quarterfinal 1.