After a couple memorable days at Pipeline which saw the lineup go from postcard-perfect to borderline-unruly, then back to classic Backdoor, the field for the Billabong Pro Pipeline Finals Day has been set.
With an XXL swell on the way conditions are looking spicy for this weekend, and when competition resumes we'll see on the men's side the greatest surfer of all time Kelly Slater fighting for an eighth Championship Tour victory at Pipeline days out from his 50th birthday, two Rookies chasing a win at their debut event and perennial finalists trying to finally achieve a long-held dream. Oh, and there's also two brothers from Brazil who have both managed to surf their way into the draw.
The women will see two World Champions in the draw, as well as a fierce local wildcard and the return of one of the sport's great competitors, which will guarantee fireworks before crowning the first women's Championship Tour Pipeline champion.
Kelly Slater vs Kanoa Igarashi
After Kelly Slater advanced to the Quarters by scoring a near-perfect ride in the last seconds of his Round of 16 heat against Barron Mamiya, he was asked by commentator Rosie Hodge what his intentions for the rest of the event were.
Watching Kanoa Igarashi in the lineup with Leonardo Fioravanti, Slater was aware he would face on of those two athletes in the Quarters. His answer was telling -- he noted they had both scored wins against him in past CT events at Pipe, and the GOAT was out for revenge.
In the end, it was Igarashi who advanced to face Slater, and a look at their head-to-head stats shows it's bound to be an exciting heat.
Igarashi has beaten Slater three times in their respective careers, though Slater is yet to take a win against the Olympic silver medalist. However, Slater has an almost surreal connection with PIpeline, with 7 CT wins from 28 appearances, making him the winningest surfer ever at this venue. But Igarashi is no slouch -- he made the Finals at Pipe in 2016 as a Rookie, made the Semifinals in 2017 and the Quarters in 2021.
Kelly Slater will need to move past Kanoa Igarashi to be in with a shot at winning his 8th Championship Tour event at Pipeline, days away from his 50th birthday - WSL / Brent Bielmann
Miguel Pupo vs Lucca Mesinas
Peru's Lucca Mesinas has already ensured he's made the Quarterfinals in his debut Championship Tour event. To achieve this at Pipeline just adds another layer of special. Unfortunately this ascent was helped by Carlos Munoz being forced to withdraw from their Round of 16 heat with a shoulder injury, but nevertheless it's put Messinas in an enviable position.
Though he will face a tough battle from Brazil's Miguel Pupo. These two have never met in a Championship Tour heat before, though Pupo made the Quarterfinals at Pipe back in 2013 and placed 9th in 2021. This heat is a serious opportunity for both athletes. A Semifinal appearance would be the best result of Mesinas' career, and the equal-best of Pupo's -- he made the Semifinals at Snapper in 2015.
There are many hollow, heavy lefts in Peru and the experience at home has no doubt helped Rookie Lucca Mesinas make the Quarterfinals during his first Championhsip Tour event - WSL / Brent Bielmann
Seth Moniz vs John John Florence
This is another heat in which it will be the first time these two athletes have met in a Championship Tour event. Though there's zero doubt this will be a blockbuster match up. While John John Florence is widely considered the best Pipe surfer of his generation, fellow North Shore local Seth Moniz is another regularly mentioned in that conversation.
Florence won the Championship Tour event at Pipeline in 2021, but Moniz -- the 2019 Rookie of the Year -- knows the wave like the back of his hand, as he showed when he locked in two excellent-range scores during his Opening Round heat.
Moniz gets his best results in serious waves, with a Semifinal appearance at the 2019 Tahiti Pro Teahupo'o his best CT finish so far. Still, considering Florence has a win as well as two CT runner-up finishes in his career stats, he's the favorite here.
John John Florence will meet Seth Moniz in the Quarterfinals as he seeks his second Championship Tour victory at Pipeline - WSL / Tony Heff
Caio Ibelli vs Samuel Pupo
Brazilians Caio Ibelli and Samuel Pupo will meet in the fourth Quarterfinal heat, with the drama baked in.
There's every chance Pupo -- a Rookie -- could eventually meet his brother Miguel in a Semifinal or Final at Pipeline, or if it's Ibelli who takes the win, it will mean a Semifinal appearance for an Injury Replacement surfer who fell off Tour last year after a series of tough results.
Ibelli or Pupo have never met in a Championship Tour event, so going off experience alone, it's likely Ibelli, with 5 CT seasons under his belt, will be considered the favorite here.
Though with an excellent-range score in the Round of 32, and several other solid numbers throughout the event so far, Pupo will be a tough opponent.
Samuel Pupo as well as his brother Miguel will make an apperance in the Quarterfinals round of the 2022 Billabong Pro Pipeline - WSL / Tony Heff
Tyler Wright vs Moana Jones Wong
Last year Australia's Tyler Wright won the first women's Championship Tour event held at Pipeline, and she's now where she needs to be if she wants to claim another CT victory at what is the most demanding wave on the schedule.
Though she'll have her work cut out for her. Wright will meet Wildcard and Pipe Specialist Moana Jones Wong in the first heat of the Semifinals.
Jones Wong may not have the competitive experience of the two-time World Champion Wright, but she does know Pipeline like the back of her hand. This heat will pit raw ability and familiarity at Pipeline, with one of the most seasoned, successful athletes on the women's Tour.
This will be the first time these two athletes have met in a heat, so there are no head-to-head stats available, but it's worth keeping in mind that Jones Wong, while not a prolific competitor, won the recent HIC Pipe Pro Qualifying Series event.
That speaks to her ability at Pipeline -- a wave which much of the women's Tour remains relatively unfamiliar with. In terms of competitive nous though, Wright would have to be considered the favorite here.
Tyler Wright won the first women's Championship Tour event at Pipeline last year, and will now be looking to add another victory to her long list of achievements - WSL / Brent Bielmann
Carissa Moore vs Lakey Peterson
Carissa Moore was defeated in the Final of the first women's CT event at Pipeline by Wright last year (it was moved from Maui to Oahu after a fatal shark incident). Now, after consecutive Vans Digital Triple Crowns wins as well as standout performances in this year's event, she's clearly incredibly comfortable out there, and looks as though she is determined to claim a CT victory at the Banzai.
But first she will need to overcome Lakey Peterson, a CT veteran who has remained in the World Title conversation for much of her career. Peterson missed a significant portion of last season with an injury, but has come back strong, most notably with a 7.83 score -- just shy of the excellent range -- during the Billabong Pro Pipeline Round of 16.
Lakey Peterson will be going into her Semifinal with five-time World Champion Carissa Moore with a slight edge in head-to-head stats - WSL / Tony Heff
Moore and Peterson have history. While Moore is a five-time World Champion, Peterson has a slight edge on her where head-to-head stats are concerned, winning 9 of their 17 career CT heats together (to Moore's 8).
Moore's sheer dominance of the sport understandably puts some competitors on edge, though Peterson seems to thrive on that pressure, even banking a near-perfect two-wave total (19.57) during a heat between her and Moore at the Swatch Pro at Trestles in 2017.
Given how much time Moore has spent at Pipeline this Winter, she will be a tough opponent. Though if anyone is up to the task, it's Peterson.
Finals Day Matchups: World Champs, Rookies And A Wildcard All In The Draw
Ben Collins
After a couple memorable days at Pipeline which saw the lineup go from postcard-perfect to borderline-unruly, then back to classic Backdoor, the field for the Billabong Pro Pipeline Finals Day has been set.
With an XXL swell on the way conditions are looking spicy for this weekend, and when competition resumes we'll see on the men's side the greatest surfer of all time Kelly Slater fighting for an eighth Championship Tour victory at Pipeline days out from his 50th birthday, two Rookies chasing a win at their debut event and perennial finalists trying to finally achieve a long-held dream. Oh, and there's also two brothers from Brazil who have both managed to surf their way into the draw.
The women will see two World Champions in the draw, as well as a fierce local wildcard and the return of one of the sport's great competitors, which will guarantee fireworks before crowning the first women's Championship Tour Pipeline champion.
Kelly Slater vs Kanoa Igarashi
After Kelly Slater advanced to the Quarters by scoring a near-perfect ride in the last seconds of his Round of 16 heat against Barron Mamiya, he was asked by commentator Rosie Hodge what his intentions for the rest of the event were.
Watching Kanoa Igarashi in the lineup with Leonardo Fioravanti, Slater was aware he would face on of those two athletes in the Quarters. His answer was telling -- he noted they had both scored wins against him in past CT events at Pipe, and the GOAT was out for revenge.
In the end, it was Igarashi who advanced to face Slater, and a look at their head-to-head stats shows it's bound to be an exciting heat.
Igarashi has beaten Slater three times in their respective careers, though Slater is yet to take a win against the Olympic silver medalist. However, Slater has an almost surreal connection with PIpeline, with 7 CT wins from 28 appearances, making him the winningest surfer ever at this venue. But Igarashi is no slouch -- he made the Finals at Pipe in 2016 as a Rookie, made the Semifinals in 2017 and the Quarters in 2021.
Miguel Pupo vs Lucca Mesinas
Peru's Lucca Mesinas has already ensured he's made the Quarterfinals in his debut Championship Tour event. To achieve this at Pipeline just adds another layer of special. Unfortunately this ascent was helped by Carlos Munoz being forced to withdraw from their Round of 16 heat with a shoulder injury, but nevertheless it's put Messinas in an enviable position.
Though he will face a tough battle from Brazil's Miguel Pupo. These two have never met in a Championship Tour heat before, though Pupo made the Quarterfinals at Pipe back in 2013 and placed 9th in 2021. This heat is a serious opportunity for both athletes. A Semifinal appearance would be the best result of Mesinas' career, and the equal-best of Pupo's -- he made the Semifinals at Snapper in 2015.
Seth Moniz vs John John Florence
This is another heat in which it will be the first time these two athletes have met in a Championship Tour event. Though there's zero doubt this will be a blockbuster match up. While John John Florence is widely considered the best Pipe surfer of his generation, fellow North Shore local Seth Moniz is another regularly mentioned in that conversation.
Florence won the Championship Tour event at Pipeline in 2021, but Moniz -- the 2019 Rookie of the Year -- knows the wave like the back of his hand, as he showed when he locked in two excellent-range scores during his Opening Round heat.
Moniz gets his best results in serious waves, with a Semifinal appearance at the 2019 Tahiti Pro Teahupo'o his best CT finish so far. Still, considering Florence has a win as well as two CT runner-up finishes in his career stats, he's the favorite here.
Caio Ibelli vs Samuel Pupo
Brazilians Caio Ibelli and Samuel Pupo will meet in the fourth Quarterfinal heat, with the drama baked in.
There's every chance Pupo -- a Rookie -- could eventually meet his brother Miguel in a Semifinal or Final at Pipeline, or if it's Ibelli who takes the win, it will mean a Semifinal appearance for an Injury Replacement surfer who fell off Tour last year after a series of tough results.
Ibelli or Pupo have never met in a Championship Tour event, so going off experience alone, it's likely Ibelli, with 5 CT seasons under his belt, will be considered the favorite here.
Though with an excellent-range score in the Round of 32, and several other solid numbers throughout the event so far, Pupo will be a tough opponent.
Tyler Wright vs Moana Jones Wong
Last year Australia's Tyler Wright won the first women's Championship Tour event held at Pipeline, and she's now where she needs to be if she wants to claim another CT victory at what is the most demanding wave on the schedule.
Though she'll have her work cut out for her. Wright will meet Wildcard and Pipe Specialist Moana Jones Wong in the first heat of the Semifinals.
Jones Wong may not have the competitive experience of the two-time World Champion Wright, but she does know Pipeline like the back of her hand. This heat will pit raw ability and familiarity at Pipeline, with one of the most seasoned, successful athletes on the women's Tour.
This will be the first time these two athletes have met in a heat, so there are no head-to-head stats available, but it's worth keeping in mind that Jones Wong, while not a prolific competitor, won the recent HIC Pipe Pro Qualifying Series event.
That speaks to her ability at Pipeline -- a wave which much of the women's Tour remains relatively unfamiliar with. In terms of competitive nous though, Wright would have to be considered the favorite here.
Carissa Moore vs Lakey Peterson
Carissa Moore was defeated in the Final of the first women's CT event at Pipeline by Wright last year (it was moved from Maui to Oahu after a fatal shark incident). Now, after consecutive Vans Digital Triple Crowns wins as well as standout performances in this year's event, she's clearly incredibly comfortable out there, and looks as though she is determined to claim a CT victory at the Banzai.
But first she will need to overcome Lakey Peterson, a CT veteran who has remained in the World Title conversation for much of her career. Peterson missed a significant portion of last season with an injury, but has come back strong, most notably with a 7.83 score -- just shy of the excellent range -- during the Billabong Pro Pipeline Round of 16.
Moore and Peterson have history. While Moore is a five-time World Champion, Peterson has a slight edge on her where head-to-head stats are concerned, winning 9 of their 17 career CT heats together (to Moore's 8).
Moore's sheer dominance of the sport understandably puts some competitors on edge, though Peterson seems to thrive on that pressure, even banking a near-perfect two-wave total (19.57) during a heat between her and Moore at the Swatch Pro at Trestles in 2017.
Given how much time Moore has spent at Pipeline this Winter, she will be a tough opponent. Though if anyone is up to the task, it's Peterson.
Seth Moniz
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