Local favourite Robinson wipes out in mega Margs upset

Perth Now

20-05-2025

Jack Robinson's hopes of winning a third Margaret River Pro in four years came unstuck on a day of carnage for the championship tour's top seeds at Main Break.
Robinson, the 2022 and 2024 champion at his home event, was wiped-out on Tuesday in the final heat of the day by world No.32 Imaikalani deVault of Hawaii. His early exit was one of several upsets in pumping 8-10ft conditions, as five of the top-seven were eliminated in the round-of-32.
Current world No.1 Italo Ferreira of Brazil was also taken out by local qualifier Jacob Willcox, while No.2 Yago Dora of Brazil, No.5 Ethan Ewing of Australia and No.6 Filipe Toldo of Brazil were all surprise losers.
It leaves No.3 Jody Smith of South Africa and No.4 Kanoa Igarashi of Japan as the highest-seeded men remaining in the seventh and final World Surf League stop before the mid-season cut.
Robinson made a few uncharacteristic errors in his match-up with deVault, getting caught too deep in the barrel on a couple of occasions and getting caught on the lip and wiping out when taking an important wave inside the final six minutes.
He scored a 6.00 wave with just over two minutes remaining under second priority to reduce the number he needed to advance but ultimately ran out of time, falling with a two-wave 11.33 total to deVault's 14.33.
Needing to win the event to make the cut and stay on tour, deVault said he'd approached the heat against local favourite Robinson with nothing to lose. Jack Robinson of Australia surfs in Heat 16. Credit: Cait Miers / World Surf League
'He's the guy to beat here, I feel like everybody knows that,' deVault said.
'My game plan was I had to get the best waves to beat him and he obviously knows the line-up so well so I was kind of just following him and he actually let me know on my good wave because it did kind of look like it was going to taper off but luckily it kept giving me the sections.'
Earlier, Australian wild-card Mikey McDonagh took out Dora to reach the round-of-16 at CT level for the first time. Imaikalani deVault of Hawaii after surfing in Heat 16. Credit: Beatriz Ryder / World Surf League
But fellow Aussies Ewing, George Pittar, Winter Vincent, Liam O'Brien, Joel Vaughan were eliminated.
Pittar and O'Brien and another Australian Ryan Callinan, who went out in the elimination round, are among those to have already missed the cut.
The next call is at 7.15am on Wednesday with round-of-16 action.
Watch the WSL Margaret River Pro live and free on 7PLUS
MEN'S ROUND-OF-32 RESULTS
HEAT 1: Mikey McDonough AUS 12.77 (6.60, 6.17) def. Yago Dora BRA 11.30 (7.67, 3.63)
HEAT 2: Griffin Colapinto USA 10.97 (6.50, 4.47) def. Cole Houshmand USA 9.70 (5.13, 4.77)
HEAT 3: Leonardo Fioravanti ITA 17.13 (9.00, 8.13) def. Ian Gentil HAW 13.60 (7.00, 6.60)
HEAT 4: Miguel Pupo BRA 15.27 (8.00, 7.27) def. George Pittar AUS 11.83 (7.00, 4.83)
HEAT 5: Kanoa Igarashi JPN 13.16 (7.33, 5.83) def. Winter Vincent AUS 7.93 (4.10, 3.83)
HEAT 6: Connor O'Leary JPN 14.37 (8.50, 5.87) def. Liam O'Brien AUS 13.33 (7.83, 5.50)
HEAT 7: Jake Marshall USA 12.76 (6.43, 6.33) def. Samuel Pupo BRA 10.10 (5.43, 4.67)
HEAT 8: Barron Mamiya HAW 13.54 (6.87, 6.67) def. Ian Gouveia BRA 13.06 (6.73, 6.33)
HEAT 9: Jacob Willcox AUS 15.00 (8.33, 6.67) def. Italo Ferriera BRA 12.87 (6.87, 6.00)
HEAT 10: Joao Chianca BRA 13.93 (8.73, 5.20) def. Matthew McGillivray RSA 10.87 (6.00, 4.87)
HEAT 11: Jackson Bunch HAW 9.17 (4.63, 4.50) def. Filipe Toledo BRA 7.56 (3.83, 3.73)
HEAT 12: Crosby Colapinto USA 16.00 (8.83, 7.17) def. Ethan Ewing AUS 14.33 (8.00, 6.33)
HEAT 13: Jordy Smith RSA 12.50 (6.67, 5.83) def. Edgard Groggia BRA 8.53 (4.60, 3.93)
HEAT 14: Marco Mignot FRA 13.67 (7.17, 6.50) def. Joel Vaughan AUS 12.80 (6.80, 6.00)
HEAT 15: Alan Cleland MEX 13.40 (6.90, 6.50) def. Rio Waida IDN 10.50 (5.50, 5.00)
HEAT 16: Imaikalani deVault HAW 14.33 (8.00, 6.33) def. Jack Robinson AUS 11.33 (6.00, 5.33)