Alana Blanchard, Bells Beach, Victoria

Alana Blanchard beat Steph Gilmore in round one of the Rip Curl Pro, Bells Beach yesterday. Meaning, she bounces straight to round three. How about that? Alana is surfing with more gusto than ever this year, and as you’re certainly aware, she also has a new man in her life, Jack Freestone. D’you think having a young surfer of Jack’s calibre in her corner is helping? “Her surfing is looking spicy,” says Ryan Miller, who shot this photo during her heat yesterday. “And I accredit it all to Jack Freestone. All the girls on tour have coaches and some of their coaches are really good at heat strategy, time management and wave selection, but none of them are progressive young surfers. Jack is the only coach/caddy on the women’s tour that can legitimately rip at today’s level. Look at Alana here putting the fins above the lip on some shitty soft Bells wall. Freestone was coaching her into that for sure.”

The men’s event starts today, like, right now, so get over there. Up first is Matt Wilkinson, Gabs Medina and Raoni Monteiro. And we’re back in!

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 RESULTS:
Heat 1: Silvana Lima (BRA) 15.83, Laura Enever (AUS) 7.56, Courtney Conlogue (USA) 5.33
Heat 2: Alana Blanchard (HAW) 15.37, Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) 14.50, Sage Erickson (USA) 14.80
Heat 3: Nikki Van Dijk (AUS) 16.27, Tyler Wright (AUS) 16.16, Malia Manuel (HAW) 12.10
Heat 4: Carissa Moore (HAW) 19.43, Sofia Mulanovich (PER) 15.17, Paige Hareb (NZL) 13.57
Heat 5: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 18.07, Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 11.86, Rebecca Woods (AUS) 11.26
Heat 6: Lakey Peterson (USA) 17.66, Coco Ho (HAW) 15.13, Pauline Ado (FRA) 12.83

RIP CURL WOMEN’S PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 2 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Laura Enever (AUS) vs. Malia Manuel (HAW)
Heat 2: Coco Ho (HAW) vs. Pauline Ado (FRA)
Heat 3: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Sofia Mulanovich (PER)
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) vs. Rebecca Woods (AUS)
Heat 5: Courtney Conlogue (USA) vs. Sage Erickson (USA)
Heat 6: Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) vs. Paige Hareb (NZL)

RIP CURL PRO BELLS BEACH ROUND 1 MATCH-UPS:
Heat 1: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Matt Wilkinson (AUS), Raoni Monteiro (BRA)
Heat 2: Julian Wilson (AUS), Kai Otton (AUS), Patrick Gudauskas (USA)
Heat 3: Taj Burrow (AUS), Kieren Perrow (AUS), Willian Cardoso (BRA)
Heat 4: Mick Fanning (AUS), Sebastian Zietz (HAW), Oney Anwar (IDN)
Heat 5: Joel Parkinson (AUS), Brett Simpson (USA), Jack Perry (AUS)
Heat 6: Kelly Slater (USA), Adam Melling (AUS), Jacob Wilcox (AUS)
Heat 7: Adriano de Souza (BRA), Alejo Muniz (BRA), Tiago Pires (PRT)
Heat 8: Josh Kerr (AUS), Damien Hobgood (USA), Dusty Payne (HAW)
Heat 9: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Travis Logie (ZAF), Nat Young (USA)
Heat 10: Michel Bourez (PYF), Bede Durbidge (AUS), Filipe Toledo (BRA)
Heat 11: Owen Wright (AUS), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Glenn Hall (IRL)
Heat 12: Jordy Smith (ZAF), C.J. Hobgood (USA), Kolohe Andino (USA)