Abubo Eliminated; No. 1 Ranking in Jeopardy
Hawaii’s Megan Abubo, the top-ranked women’s surfer on the Assn. of Surfing Professionals World Championship Tour, was understandably upset after Friday’s Round 3 of the elleven Pro at Huntington Beach.
That’s because fellow Hawaiian Keala Kennelly won their heat and Australia’s Pauline Menczer, the 1993 world champion, also outscored Abubo to upend the world’s No. 1-ranked surfer and send her to a disappointing ninth-place finish.
Kennelly and Menczer advanced to today’s quarterfinals, along with second-ranked Layne Beachley of Australia. If Beachley, the two-time defending world champion, finishes second or higher today, she will move past Abubo for the top spot in the rankings.
The 22-year-old Abubo needed a score of 5.71 on one of her final waves to pass Menczer.
But with three minutes remaining in the heat, conditions flattened and Abubo never saw another wave.
Also advancing to today’s quarterfinals were Australia’s Lynette MacKenzie, Melanie Redman and Brazil’s Tita Tavares.
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