Merewether surfers Ryan Callinan and Morgan Cibilic both advanced at the Bells Beach Pro on Wednesday but only one of them will make the quarter-finals after they were drawn to face-off in the round of 16.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Merewether Surfboard Club duo scored impressive heat victories in the round of 32 but will now have to surf against each other when the contest next resumes, potentially as early as Thursday morning.
It's an unfortunate match-up given how well the pair have performed at the contest.
Surfing at the Winkipop break on Wednesday in four-to-six foot waves, Cibilic upset West Australian and world no.4 Jack Robinson before Callinan accounted for Hawaiian Imaikalani deVault.
A wildcard entrant, Cibilic took on Robinson in the round's opening heat and showed signs of the form that catapulted him into the Championship Tour's top five in 2022.
He twice came from behind to finish with a two-wave total score of 13.64 (7.27 + 6.37).
Robinson, who had set the tone early with a 7.0 on his opening wave, failed to find a score of 6.65 or above to snatch the lead despite a late ride that worried Cibilic.
"I didn't know what he really did on one of his waves, which was behind mine, so I went for a second and thought I might have had a priority blunder, but it worked out," he said.
In the next heat, last year's runner-up Callinan cruised to a 14.50 to 7.13 win over deVault.
Meanwhile the women's contest is set for a first-time champion after past winners Tyler Wright, Sally Fitzgibbons and world No.1 Molly Picklum all exited in the round of 16 on Wednesday.
