Simmers, Hopkins draw first blood at Cloud 9

SIARGAO, Philippines — World No. 6 Caitlin Simmers and World No. 14 Yolanda Hopkins wasted no time making their mark as the World Surf League Championship Tour made its historic Philippine debut at Cloud 9 here yesterday, with the Filipino wildcard entries still on standby.

Simmers announced her intentions early, unlocking a near-perfect barrel for a 9.00 to oust fellow American and world champion Caroline Marks and effectively end Marks’ mathematical chances for a second world title.

A heat later, Hopkins – fifth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – delivered the first major upset of the inaugural WSL Philippines Pro Presented by the Philippine Sports Commission, knocking out world No. 3 Gabriela Bryan to throw the title race wide open.

The Philippine wildcard entries remained on standby as officials ran only the first two heats of the women’s competition, awaiting next swell.

Most awaited is Filipino pride Marama Tokong’s showdown with Brazilian powerhouse Samuel Pupo.

Simmers vs. Marks was billed as a world champion clash, and Simmers made sure it lived up to it.

The Californian found rhythm behind the curtain at Cloud 9, threading a deep backside barrel before laying down a hammer finish on the inside to post a 9.00. She backed it up with a 6.17 for a 15.17 total, well clear of Marks’ 9.00 (5.50 + 3.50).

“Honestly, I keep telling people it’s one of my favorite waves on the planet because it’s just really tight, and you kind of have to do some exciting things in the spaces you get. It’s pretty hard to just do your stock-standard couple of turns on it,” Simmers said of Cloud 9.

Hopkins held her composure in tricky four- to six-foot conditions to post a 5.27 and a 4.83 for a 10.10 heat total. Bryan, who struggled to find rhythm in the shifting lineup, could only muster a 7.00 (4.00 + 3.00).

The result arranged a quarterfinal showdown between Hopkins and Simmers.