Road To The Rip Curl WSL Finals: VIVO Rio Pro Aftermath

With the VIVO Rio Pro now in the rearview mirror, only two events remain on the 2023 WSL Championship Tour schedule before the season culminates with the Rip Curl WSL Finals at Lower Trestles this September. 

The top five rankings seem to be ever-changing, with the VIVO Rio Pro coming to an end and only two events left in the season, it’s becoming a challenge to predict who will be claiming a spot in the Rip Curl WSL Finals in 2023…. Carissa Moore and Tyler Wright have already secured their spots with three more on the women's side up for grabs. The fight for the Final 5 heads to one of the most perfect waves on Earth where all 5 men's spots remain, things are only going to get more intense from here on out. Let’s take a hot minute to take a look at where we’re at and where the road to the Finals is going to take us this summer.

Current Championship Tour Rankings:

Starting off with the men, Yago Dora has possibly found the best way to claim his first Championship Tour win - in front of a massive Brazilian home crowd.

The road to the final five has not been easy for Dora, overcoming World Champions Gabriel Medina and John John Florence, and fellow Brazilian Jadson Andre who knocked out Filipe Toledo. All leading up to a tough final against Ethan Ewing.

As a result of Dora’s convincing win, he moved up to the fifth spot in the rankings, all the way down from 12th. Finishing runner-up, Ethan Ewing moves up the rankings to third. Gabriel Medina drops down to seventh place but is not out of the race just yet.

Meanwhile, Filipe Toledo snatches the yellow rashie from Griffin Colapinto. The difference between the top two contenders is now less than 1,000 points. Whilst taking the number one spot in the rankings, Toledo unfortunately limped off the beach with a potential knee injury after his Round of 16 clash with Jadson Andre, will this affect his back-to-back World Title hopes?

With the competition on the Men’s side so narrow, no one has clinched a spot just yet. Every wave counts from here on out.

Over on the women’s side, things are just as exciting. Championship Tour rookie Caitlin Simmers claims her second win of the season. Her road to victory was also difficult, having to overcome five-time World Champion Carissa Moore, only to face two-time World Champion Tyler Wright in the final. The 17-year-old is proving that she is a force to be reckoned with, and a real contender in the CT.

So far, the only two surfers to clinch a spot in the Rip Curl WSL Finals are Tyler Wright and Carissa Moore. This will be the first time we get to watch Tyler compete at Rip Curl WSL Finals. With five finals appearances out of eight events this year, she is one to watch in September.

With Molly Picklum still in the race, and Caitlin Simmers entering the current top five, both are making their mark post the mid-season cut last year, while veterans Tyler and Carissa fight to add to their already impressive collection. 

The next stop on the road to the 2023 Rip Curl WSL Finals is the Corona Open J-Bay, which kicks off on July 13. Tune in live on WorldSurfLeague.com and keep it locked here for more post-event analysis.