Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
AAP
AAP
Sport
Justin Chadwick

Aussie Robinson secures WSL finals card

Jack Robinson secured his spot in the WSL's season-ending finals after reaching the J-Bay semis. (AAP)

World No.2 Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing will face off in an all-Australian final at J-Bay after both surfers produced outstanding rides in their respective semi-finals.

Robinson's surfboard broke during his semi against Kanoa Igarashi, and he was forced to run across the rocks to collect his spare board.

The 24-year-old put the setback aside to produce a two-wave total of 15.80 to beat Igarashi (13.17).

Ewing's two-wave total of 17.04 was enough to edge past Brazilian Yago Dora (16.87) in a thrilling contest.

Robinson' has now guaranteed he will finish the 10-event Championship Tour in the top five, meaning he has now secured his spot for the season-ending title battle at Lower Trestles in California.

Ewing, who is fifth in the rankings, still faces a fight to secure his own spot, and a win at J-Bay would hugely boost his cause.

World No.3 Italo Ferreira needed medical attention after being pounded by a wave during his quarter-final loss to Igarashi.

Igarashi needed a 7.91 with just two minutes remaining, and he produced a stunning final ride that included a late tube to secure an 8.33 score and seal a semi-final berth against Robinson.

Ferreira surfed out the heat, but his wipeout midway through clearly took its toll.

The 2019 world champion limped out of the water clutching his lower back/hip area, and was disconsolate as he sat on the stairs with his head in his hands.

He was later taken to the medical room to be attended to by the doctor, with the injury believed to be back spasms.

In the women's draw, Tyler Wright secured a spot in the final with victory over fellow Australian and seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore.

Wright's two-wave total of 14.26 was simply too good for Gilmore (11.00), whose best-scoring ride of 6.33 didn't come until the dying minutes.

Wright will take on Tatiana Weston-Webb in the final after the Brazilian upset world No.1 Carissa Moore.

Moore was handed an interference penalty after cutting across the path of Weston-Webb when the Brazilian had priority.

It meant only one of Moore's waves would count for her total, and Weston-Webb secured the easy win 9.60 to 5.50

Wright is in desperate need of victory at J-Bay after her past three events were ruined by COVID-19 and bad luck.

She was forced out midway through G-Land after testing positive to COVID-19, and she missed the following event in El Salvador due to a slow recovery from the virus.

Wright's luck turned from bad to worse when she had to give up her spot at the Rio Pro after visa issues meant she couldn't enter Brazil in time.

The triple blow saw her slip from fourth to 10th in the rankings, but her performances in South Africa has kept her hopes of a top-five finish well and truly alive.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.