South Africa’s highest internationally ranked female surfers slipped down the ratings after the completion of women’s WQS and World Tour events in Brazil during the past week.
Rosanne Hodge (East London), the country’s only representative on the elite women’s tour, suffered an early exit in the R560 000 Billabong Girls Pro at Itacaré in Brazil to drop to 16th position on the rankings with three of the seven 2007 events completed.
The ASP Women’s World Tour rookie will be determined to force her way into the top 10 on the leaderboard at the remaining events in Spain, Australia and Hawaii (2) in order to re-qualify for another year at the highest echelons of women’s world surfing.
The event was won by Australian Samantha Cornish who clinched her first event title in four years by defeating Silvana Lima (BRA) to move into second place on the rankings behind rookie Stephanie Gilmore (AUS).
Nikita Robb suffered a setback in her bid to emulate fellow East Londoner Hodge by qualifying for the World Tour in her first full year campaigning on the WQS circuit.
Despite being the highest placed SA finisher in ninth place in the 4 star rated, R140 000 Billabong Girls Pro in Brazil last week, the 19 year-old slipped from 13th to 15th on the WQS rankings where only the top six move onto the following year’s top level tour.
Hodge, who finished equal 13th in the WQS event, dropped from 21st to 23rd while Tammy-Lee Smith (Salt Rock, KZN), a first round casualty in Brazil, slipped one place to 28th out of the 156 rated women.
All three girls will be desperate for a top four finish in the Reef Hawaiian Pro at Haleiwa in Hawaii in November, the last remaining 6 Star event on the 2007 women’s WQS schedule.
Hodge resumes her ASP Women’s World Tour campaign at the R560 000 Rip Curl Girls Festival at Santander in Spain on 4 September.
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