Aussie surf star makes early exit from NZ Open
Melissa Woods |
Just over a week after one of the biggest wins of his surfing career, Ethan Ewing has crashed out of the New Zealand Pro in his first heat.
Climbing up to world No.4 on the back of his stirring victory at the Gold Coast Pro in early May, Ewing had hoped to use that triumph to kick-start his sluggish World Surf League season.
But the 27-year-old Queenslander will have to regroup after being eliminated by fellow Australian Morgan Cibilic on the opening day of competition at Manu Bay in Raglan.
Cibilic, who finished his maiden Championship Tour season in 2021 ranked world No.5, had to surf in one of the four round one heats early Friday as a Challenger Tour qualifier.
He accounted for local hope Billy Stairmand 14.50 to 12.97 to move through to a second-round match-up with big dog Ewing.
Cibilic opened on the famed left-hand point break with a solid 6.83 and kept busy with his ninth and final scoring wave earning a 7.50 for a total of 14.33.
The frugal Ewing only surfed six waves and could only manage 10.0 for his best two-wave tally.
“I got so lucky – I feel like there hasn’t been too many waves that’ll let you get up and over on the first section and my very first one just let me do that,” the 26-year-old said.
“That heat was such a hard heat to surf and I feel just a little bit bad for Eth’.
“I feel like I’ve had a pretty rough trot with waves this year so it just feels really good to get the ball rolling and actually catch a few decent waves … I’m stoked to get through.”
Novocastrian Cibilic will next meet another Australian in in-form Liam O’Brien, who ousted American Jake Marshall by just 0.51 points.
O’Brien lost the Gold Coast semi-final to Ewing.
“I just saw him in the locker room and it’s going to be an epic heat,” Cibilic said of his good friend.
“We grew up surfing in contests together, travelling together our whole entire lives and now we get to surf a heat on the CT together in the round of 16 so at least one of us gets through.”
The women, including Gold Coast winner Stephanie Gilmore, are yet to start their competition.
AAP