Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP) world ratings leaders Sofia Mulanovich (PER) and Chelsea Georgeson (AUS) maintained their first-rate form to again post the highest heat scores of the day in round three of the Roxy Jam. Both are through to the quarterfinals.

Relocating from yesterday’s mobile site of St. Agnes back to Perranporth Beach early this afternoon, the world’s best women surfers displayed spectacular surfing today. Georgeson, whose round three combined wave score of 17.75 is the event’s highest, looks virtually unstoppable at the moment.

“I’m feeling really good,” Georgeson said. “I’ve got this board that’s working so well for me right now, so that’s contributing a lot, but I’m feeling strong and just trying to complete all my maneuvers and do bigger turns.”

Georgeson defeated 1993 world champion and injury replacement Pauline Menczer to advance to the quarterfinals where she’ll meet Brazil’s Jacqueline Silva. Showing a renewed confidence since her win in Tahiti earlier this month, Georgeson garnered the day’s highest single wave score as well - a 9.25.

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Reigning world champ Mulanovichthe scored the second highest wave of the day, an expertly executed 9.0 against wildcard Lisa Hurunui (NZL).

“I just got a really long one and smacked it a couple times and tried not to risk too much-contest surfing pretty much,” Mulanovich said.

Hurunui surfed well but was no match for Mulanovich who has clearly found the confidence she lacked earlier this year when she was repeatedly defeated by wildcard entrants.

“Wildcards are always on and Lisa got a pretty good score,” Mulanovich said. Wildcards are like dark horses trying to beat a world champ, so its always a challenge for me to surf against them, but I think I’m starting to deal them better little by little.” I might draw wildcards through the whole year so I better start getting more confident when I surf against them,” Mulanovich said.

Rookie Rebecca Woods is rapidly gaining confidence, which, by the looks of it, could be the lone ingredient the young Australian was lacking. Woods finished equal third in Tahiti and has surfed unbelievably well here in the UK - so well that she caused a huge upset eliminating ratings number three and tour veteran Megan Abubo (HAW) in the second heat of the day.

“It’s good to get through a few rounds just to get that element of self-doubt out of your mind,” Woods said. “I know what I want to do out there and I know how to do it, but there’s times when my self-confidence comes into play. A lot of these girls have been doing this for 13 years so they’re experienced and more confident and I think that’s what I was lacking at the start of the year, but it’s come back a bit now.”

Woods came up against Beachley, a daunting draw for rookies and veterans alike, numerous times at the start of the year. Reseeding since the season’s early events meant that it was rookie Claire Bevilaqua who suffered that fate today. Beachley easily defeated the Western Australian in the last heat of the day.

“I think once I had her in a combination situation, she got rattled by the fact that she was under such intense pressure,” Beachley said. “I didn’t surf that heat as strategically as I normally would have because I knew I could relax there at the end of it.”

Beachley tied Mulanovich’s second highest-scoring heat total of a 15.50 as the tide raced up the beach.

“My strategy out there was just to get waves at the beginning of the heat knowing that tide was filling up rapidly and that’s what I did,” Beachley said. Every wave I caught after the 15 minute mark was not a good score and it’s all because the first few waves were the most hollow.”

Beachley’s experience has earned her countless victories but she remembers what it was like to be a rookie up against the world’s best.

“I always came up against Lisa Andersen. All of a sudden you feel like you have to perform at a whole different level because you’re coming up against a world champ and you mentally defeat yourself before you even get in the water,” Beachley said.

“I went through that for years. That’s why I’m so impressed to see someone like Sofia come in and win a world title so young. It took me eight years on tour to win a world title and now there are these girls who can come in do it in the first couple years of their career. That’s how far women’s surfing has come since I started.”

ROUND 3 RESULTS:

Heat # 1
ROCHELLE BALLARD def LAURINA MCGRATH

Heat # 2
REBECCA WOODS def MEGAN ABUBO

Heat # 3
KEALA KENNELLY def SERENA BROOKE

Heat # 4
SOFIA MULANOVICH def LISA HURUNUI

Heat # 5
CHELSEA GEORGESON def PAULINE MENCER

Heat # 6
JACQUELINE SILVA def SAMANTHA CORNISH

Heat # 7
TRUDY TODD def MELANIE REDMAN-CARR

Heat # 8
LAYNE BEACHLEY def CLAIRE BEVILACQUA

UPCOMING QUARTERFINAL HEATS

QUARTERFINAL # 1
ROCHELLE BALLARD v. REBECCA WOODS

QUARTERFINAL # 2
KEALA KENNELLY v. SOFIA MULANOVICH

QUARTERFINAL # 3
CHELSEA GEORGESON v. JACQUELINE SILVA

QUARTERFINAL # 4
TRUDY TODD v. LAYNE BEACHLEY