Snapper Rocks became a graveyard for women’s world champions on Monday as Tyler Wright, Stephanie Gilmore and Carissa Moore were all toppled in the Roxy Pro quarter-finals.
The trio boast 11 world titles between them but it counted for nothing as one by one they fell in an afternoon of upsets at Snapper Rocks.
Australian pair Sally Fitzgibbons and Keely Andrew, who beat Gilmore, will meet in the semi-finals while Americans Malia Manuel and Lakey Peterson will fight for the other final spot after beating Moore and Wright respectively.
Fitzgibbons, chasing her first win at Snapper, had to produce 8.17 and 8.40 rides featuring some rare aerial manoeuvres to topple 16-year-old star in the making Caroline Marks.
Wright had no answers in smaller surf to Peterson, while Mooloolaba’s Andrew scored a 6.60 with her final wave to beat the local favourite and defending champion.
Men’s second round sudden death battles featuring Australians Matt Wilkinson, Wade Carmichael, Joel Parkinson and Mikey Wright, John John Florence and 2014 world champion Gabriel Medina won’t be surfed until at least Tuesday.