THE door has opened for Sally Fitzgibbons to snare the lead in surfing’s world title race with the Australian continuing her undefeated run at the Swatch Pro in the US.
Fitzgibbons can leapfrog fellow Australian Tyler Wright on the world rankings with a top performance in the world tour event at Trestles.
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Wright has struggled to fire at the cobblestone break in the US, losing both her first and third round heats to now be surfing for survival against six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore when competition resumes.
In contrast Fitzgibbons is riding high at Trestles, on Thursday surfing her way into her eighth
consecutive World Tour quarter-final this year.
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“It feels good being in this position and knowing there’s a lot of surfing left in the tank,’’ said Fitzgibbons who maintains she is “hungrier than ever’’ to claim a maiden world crown after 10 years of trying.
“I can’t wait to open up on some more walls. To get that opportunity in the quarters is great so I’ll keep enjoying the surfing and getting inspired before I get back out there.”
Fitzgibbons said before the event she feels she has the new moves to break through for a maiden world surfing crown this year.
“I’m really happy with my surfing right now,’’ she said.
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Fitzgibbons beat fellow Australians Nikki Van Dijk and rookie Keely Andrew to advance directly into the quarter-finals along with Americans Sage Erickson, Carissa Moore and Brazilian Silvana Lima.
Six-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will take on Wright when surfing at the Swatch Pro resumes for a spot in the quarter-finals.
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