What: Roxy Pro, Stop No. 7 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour
Where: Sunset Beach, Hawaii USA
When: November 3 – 8, 2008

Melanie Bartels (HAW), 26, current No.10 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, went ballistic during her Round 1 heat, comboing her opponents with an incredible 18.40 out of a possible 20 to advance through to the Quarterfinals of the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach.

Stop No. 7 of 8 on the 2008 ASP Women’s World Tour, the Roxy Pro at Sunset Beach also marks the second event of the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing and Friday’s solid 3-metre surf on offer at the infamous break saw the Hawaiians dominate the competition.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time out here at Sunset with Rochelle (Ballard) and she’s been giving me lots of little secrets so I feel really confident out here,” Bartels said. “I’m just stoked to be back in Hawaii and finally get to surf some real waves.”

Bartels, who is a past champion at the Roxy Pro Sunset, took down reigning ASP Women’s World Champion Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), 20, in her opening round heat, proving that the powerful Hawaiian is one of the girls to watch here at Sunset.

“My competitive focus has definitely changed lately,” Bartels said. “I’m much more motivated than I’ve ever been and I’m really looking forward to finishing the season strong here in Hawaii.”

Sofia Mulanovich (PER), 25, defending Roxy Pro Champion and current No.2 on the ASP Women’s World Tour, put in a solid Round 1 effort to advance directly into the Quarterfinals. “I watched the heat before me and saw Steph (Gilmore) get eliminated, but I didn’t think to much about that in my heat,” Mulanovich said. “I’m confident that Steph will get through her next heat and we’ll be back to square one come the Quarterfinals.”

Gilmore rebounded in fine form in Round 2, securing two solid scores to net a 12.84 out of a possible 20 to advance through to the Quarterfinals. “I was really frustrated with my performance in Round 1 so I went straight out there and tried to pick off a couple of scores as soon as I could in Round 2,” Gilmore said. “The waves are epic today. We surf fairly small stuff most of the season so it’s awesome to come here to Hawaii and get to compete in solid waves.”

With the advancement of Gilmore and Mulanovich into the Quarterfinals, the race for the 2008 ASP Women’s World Title moves to the next day of competition.

“I’m not really thinking about the title right now,” Gilmore said. “Sofia (Mulanovich) and I are both through to the next round so I’m sure we’ll just keep battling it out until one of us prevails. Should make for an entertaining end of the year.”

Organizers called Roxy Pro competition off for the day following the completion of Round 2, allowing for the ASP World Qualifying Series 6-Star Prime O’Neill World Cup of Surfing to get underway. Event organizers will reconvene today at 7am for a possible 8am start.

ROXY PRO SUNSET ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Nicola Atherton (AUS) 13.00, Silvana Lima (BRA) 5.95, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 4.23, Claire Bevilacqua (AUS) 0.93
Heat 2: Samantha Cornish (AUS) 7.30, Serena Brooke (AUS) 6.47, Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 5.83, Amee Donohoe (AUS) 3.44
Heat 3: Melanie Bartels (HAW) 18.40, Coco Ho (HAW) 11.40, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 5.83, Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 8.33
Heat 4: Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 11.33, Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 10.44, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 3.33, Karina Petroni (USA) 0.00
Heat 5: Lee Ann Curren (HAW) 14.50, Layne Beachley (AUS) 6.64, Megan Abubo (HAW) 3.17, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 0.00

ROXY PRO SUNSET ROUND 2 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 12.84, Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS) 9.47, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 6.23, Amee Donohoe (AUS) 3.07, Karina Petroni (USA) 1.97
Heat 2: Megan Abubo (HAW) 9.37, Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS) 8.10, Claire Bevilacqua (AUS), Rosanne Hodge (ZAF) 5.10, Jacqueline Silva (BRA) 0.00

ROXY PRO SUNSET QUARTERFINAL MATCH-UPS:
QF 1: Silvana Lima (BRA), Samantha Cornish (AUS), Serena Brooke (AUS), Claire Bevilacqua (AUS)
QF 2: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Melanie Bartels (HAW), Megan Abubo (HAW), Coco Ho (HAW)
QF 3: Sofia Mulanovich (PER), Jessi Miley-Dyer (AUS), Nicola Atherton (AUS), Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
QF 4: Layne Beachley (AUS), Rebecca Woods (AUS), Melanie Redman-Carr (AUS), Lee Ann Curren (FRA)