Merewether's Ryan Callinan into semi-finals on Surfest Sunday
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
Merewether's Ryan Callinan has stormed into the semi-finals of Surfest at Merewether beach on Sunday with a commanding quarter-final victory.
Callinan, the sole surviving local on Surfest Sunday, set up the win over American Dimitri Poulos with two quick, high-scoring waves..
The 33-year-old goofy-footer opened with an 8.17-point ride that included several impressive manoeuvres before backing it up with a 7.33.
The Novocastrian won the quarter-final with a two-wave score of 15.50 points while Poulos (3.44) struggled to find a decent wave.
Callinan will meet the winner of the quarter-final showdown between Tahiti's Kauli Vaast and Brazilian Peterson Crisanto.
"I just got kind of lucky, in a way ... a couple of waves really lined up for me and an eight and seven to start off a heat is pretty magical," Callinan said after his quarter-final win.
"There wasn't much at the back, but just to have that feeling and to be surfing at home in front of this incredible crowd is beautiful."
Callinan is attempting to become just the second local male to win Surfest. Fellow Merewether surfer Jackson Baker achieved the feat in 2022.
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, the 2009 women's champion, is the only local woman to win at Surfest.
A large crowd is gathered at Merewether beach for the final day of the opening stop on the World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series.
"Walking down, just hearing everyone cheering, I nearly had a tear in my eye just feeling that, so I feel like I've already won the comp in that way," Callinan said.
"It's so nice to have everyone down and around and supporting, and while the waves are cooking, it's nice to surf good waves as well."
Morgan Cibilic, also from Merewether, bowed out in the round of 16.
Three-time Surfest winner Sally Fitzgibbons, from Gerroa, has lined up a semi-final exchange with Portugal's Teresa Bonvolat after both won their two-person quarter-finals on Sunday morning.
Francisco Veselko, also from Portugal, has also booked a semi-final appearance against 14-year-old Tahitian Tya Zebrowski.
Semi-finals will follow the quarters with the championship finals set to start around 2.15pm.
Surfest is the first stop on the 2025-26 World Surf League second-tier Challenger Series. It will also be the last event with another contest set for Merewether beach next March.
Upcoming men's quarter-finals: HEAT 1: Xavier Huxtable (AUS) vs. Jacob Willcox (AUS); HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Winter Vincent (AUS); HEAT 3: Dimitri Poulos (USA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS), HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) vs. Peterson Crisanto (BRA).
Merewether pair advance in epic Surfest conditions - June 6, 2025
Home-grown pair Morgan Cibilic and Ryan Callinan lapped up pumping Merewether surf to progress to the last 16 Surfest men's competitors with a one-two finish in their heat on Friday.
Surfers were met with clean, and at times barrelling, conditions and put on a show for the crowd of Novocastrians lining the promenade between Merewether and Dixon Park beaches.
Cibilic quickly got to work in heat five, which also featured Callinan and Hawaiians Eli Hanneman and Imaikalani deVault, with high-scoring back-to-back waves.
The 25-year-old opened with a 6.17-point power-packed ride, backed it up with a 6.83 then sealed progression when he tucked into a barrel to the delight of local spectators and earned a wave score of 7.30 with seven minutes remaining.
He won the heat with a best two-wave score of 14.13 points. Callinan was second with 13.03, which included a heat-high 7.50-point ride, while deVault (8.77) and Hanneman (6.13) were eliminated.
Cibilic brought strong form into the opening event of the World Surf League's second-tier Challenger Series (CS).
He was third at Bells Beach as a wildcard into the WSL top-tier Championship Tour (CT) contest and backed it up with fifth at the Gold Coast Pro as a replacement for Callinan, who sat out the CT event due to the birth of his daughter Penelope.
"It felt good," Cibilic said of Friday's heat.
"A couple of waves came towards me this heat, so I was stoked and just put it together on the waves. I felt like I didn't really oversurf them and it was enough."
The 25-year-old was mobbed by local kids on the beach after his heat and was lapping up the home-town support.
"It's epic," Cibilic said.
"It's so different to every other event. You walk two metres along the footpath and somebody is saying, 'Hey' to you, so it's unbelievable, and you come in and the froth levels are so high. It's so special.
"And, just to be able to compete here with good waves, it doesn't get much better than that."
Merewether's Philippa Anderson, however, was a round-of-32 casualty on Friday morning.
The 33-year-old surfing instructor could not buy a decent wave in her heat, which was won by teenage prodigy Eden Walla.
The 15-year-old American had the crowd in raptures with an 8.83-point tube ride to set up her heat-five win.
"I was actually dropping in and thinking about going around the section and then I thought my brother would be really mad at me, so I better just pull in," Walla said.
Walla posted a best-two-wave score of 13.10. Portugal's Franscisca Veselko (10.67) was second , Spain's Nadia Erostarbe (10.27) third and Anderson (5.30), the 2009 Surfest women's winner, fourth.
Three-time Surfest winner and veteran world tour campaigner Sally Fitzgibbons also progressed to the round of 16 with victory in heat one.
Central Coast surfer Macy Callaghan, the event's 2022 champion, failed to progress in heat four.
Former CT surfer Josh Kerr, 41 and from Tweed Heads, continued his good form by winning a tight heat two and advancing to the next round on Saturday.
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"I don't profess to being any Usyk or Justis Huni who has all the skills, but I know how to win fights and that's one thing I knew I had to do tonight," Wardley said in the ring. "Justis Huni is a great operator. We'd drilled everything over and over again. I should've performed better in some of those rounds. "He's a great boxer, some great skills and he showed me everything he had tonight. I didn't expect to bank rounds like that with Justis. I hurt him a bit in the first round and maybe I had too much confidence early on." Australian heavyweight Justis Huni's valiant bid for the WBA Interim world title has been ended by devastating 10th-round knockout to rising English star Fabio Wardley. The 26-year-old from Brisbane had stepped in at short notice to replace injured American fighter Jarrell Miller and for nine rounds looked in complete control in front of a raucous crowd at Portman Road, the home of Wardley's beloved English soccer team Ipswich Town. Boasting a glittering amateur career, including a World Championships bronze, Huni looked keen to display his credentials on the big stage. He demonstrated his firepower from the off, causing Wardley real problems with powerful combinations, mercilessly targeting the body as he racked up round after round on the judges' scorecards. Huni insisted he hadn't flown over 10,000 miles not to try to cause an upset and his stinging right hand, lively footwork and impressive hand speed continued to cause problems as the tiring Briton battled to contain his opponent going into the tenth. But it was then that Wardley somehow pulled out a stunning right-hand from absolutely nowhere, forcing an astonishing KO and sending his relieved fans into wild celebrations. "That's my curse. I even said before this fight it only takes one second to switch off, it happened tonight," Hunis told DAZN. "I'm grateful to Fabio and his team and to Ipswich to be able to perform in front of you. Get behind him, he's going to do great things. "He's just an awesome fighter. He never gave up and he got the win, he deserves it. Thank you Ipswich for the opportunity to perform here, I'm grateful." Wardley, whose win will boost his WBA ranking with the sanctioning body, was keen to praise the previously unbeaten Aussie for his performance. "I don't profess to being any Usyk or Justis Huni who has all the skills, but I know how to win fights and that's one thing I knew I had to do tonight," Wardley said in the ring. "Justis Huni is a great operator. We'd drilled everything over and over again. I should've performed better in some of those rounds. "He's a great boxer, some great skills and he showed me everything he had tonight. I didn't expect to bank rounds like that with Justis. I hurt him a bit in the first round and maybe I had too much confidence early on." Australian heavyweight Justis Huni's valiant bid for the WBA Interim world title has been ended by devastating 10th-round knockout to rising English star Fabio Wardley. The 26-year-old from Brisbane had stepped in at short notice to replace injured American fighter Jarrell Miller and for nine rounds looked in complete control in front of a raucous crowd at Portman Road, the home of Wardley's beloved English soccer team Ipswich Town. Boasting a glittering amateur career, including a World Championships bronze, Huni looked keen to display his credentials on the big stage. He demonstrated his firepower from the off, causing Wardley real problems with powerful combinations, mercilessly targeting the body as he racked up round after round on the judges' scorecards. Huni insisted he hadn't flown over 10,000 miles not to try to cause an upset and his stinging right hand, lively footwork and impressive hand speed continued to cause problems as the tiring Briton battled to contain his opponent going into the tenth. But it was then that Wardley somehow pulled out a stunning right-hand from absolutely nowhere, forcing an astonishing KO and sending his relieved fans into wild celebrations. "That's my curse. I even said before this fight it only takes one second to switch off, it happened tonight," Hunis told DAZN. "I'm grateful to Fabio and his team and to Ipswich to be able to perform in front of you. Get behind him, he's going to do great things. "He's just an awesome fighter. He never gave up and he got the win, he deserves it. Thank you Ipswich for the opportunity to perform here, I'm grateful." Wardley, whose win will boost his WBA ranking with the sanctioning body, was keen to praise the previously unbeaten Aussie for his performance. "I don't profess to being any Usyk or Justis Huni who has all the skills, but I know how to win fights and that's one thing I knew I had to do tonight," Wardley said in the ring. "Justis Huni is a great operator. We'd drilled everything over and over again. I should've performed better in some of those rounds. "He's a great boxer, some great skills and he showed me everything he had tonight. I didn't expect to bank rounds like that with Justis. I hurt him a bit in the first round and maybe I had too much confidence early on." Australian heavyweight Justis Huni's valiant bid for the WBA Interim world title has been ended by devastating 10th-round knockout to rising English star Fabio Wardley. The 26-year-old from Brisbane had stepped in at short notice to replace injured American fighter Jarrell Miller and for nine rounds looked in complete control in front of a raucous crowd at Portman Road, the home of Wardley's beloved English soccer team Ipswich Town. Boasting a glittering amateur career, including a World Championships bronze, Huni looked keen to display his credentials on the big stage. He demonstrated his firepower from the off, causing Wardley real problems with powerful combinations, mercilessly targeting the body as he racked up round after round on the judges' scorecards. Huni insisted he hadn't flown over 10,000 miles not to try to cause an upset and his stinging right hand, lively footwork and impressive hand speed continued to cause problems as the tiring Briton battled to contain his opponent going into the tenth. But it was then that Wardley somehow pulled out a stunning right-hand from absolutely nowhere, forcing an astonishing KO and sending his relieved fans into wild celebrations. "That's my curse. I even said before this fight it only takes one second to switch off, it happened tonight," Hunis told DAZN. "I'm grateful to Fabio and his team and to Ipswich to be able to perform in front of you. Get behind him, he's going to do great things. "He's just an awesome fighter. He never gave up and he got the win, he deserves it. Thank you Ipswich for the opportunity to perform here, I'm grateful." Wardley, whose win will boost his WBA ranking with the sanctioning body, was keen to praise the previously unbeaten Aussie for his performance. "I don't profess to being any Usyk or Justis Huni who has all the skills, but I know how to win fights and that's one thing I knew I had to do tonight," Wardley said in the ring. "Justis Huni is a great operator. We'd drilled everything over and over again. I should've performed better in some of those rounds. "He's a great boxer, some great skills and he showed me everything he had tonight. I didn't expect to bank rounds like that with Justis. I hurt him a bit in the first round and maybe I had too much confidence early on."
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Aussie remains in hunt for first LPGA Tour title
Australia's Robyn Choi is just three shots off the lead heading into the final round of the rain-affected LPGA Classic in New Jersey. Starting her Saturday in a tie for 20th, the 27-year-old from the Gold Coast enjoyed birdies on holes three through six, plus on the ninth, 17th and 18th. Bogeys on 15 and 16 saw her card a five-under 66 to sit in a tie for sixth at eight under, while compatriot Karis Davidson (68) is a further three shots back. They're both chasing Ilhee Lee, who shot a three-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over four players into the third round. Tied for the first-round lead with Elizabeth Szokol after a 63, Lee rebounded from a double bogey on the par-4 eighth with a closing birdie on the par-5 ninth. The 36-year-old South Korean had an 11-under 131 total on Seaview's Bay Course. "Today was totally different day, completely different day, and I knew it was going to be completely different day, so I didn't have any expectations," Lee, who won the 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for her lone tour title, said. "Just like I did yesterday, I was just playing golf. Have fun out there. Made some birdies on first nine." Szokol (69) dropped into a tie for second in the 54-hole event with fellow American Jennifer Kupcho (64) and Japanese players Ayaka Furue (66) and Mao Saigo (65), who had an albatross on the par-5 third. "Just trying to stay patient all day," Szokol said. "Didn't quite have things go as great as yesterday but still playing really good golf." Kupcho birdied the final two holes in her late afternoon round. "Wasn't hitting the ball super great off the tee, but at least out here it's manageable out of the rough or fairway bunkers," Kupcho said. "Was just really giving myself opportunities." Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul shot her second 68 to get to six under, while world No.1 Nelly Korda (66) was five under. Maja Stark, the US Women's Open winner last week at Erin Hills, missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75. Defending champion Linnea Strom also dropped out, shooting 72-75. With AP. Australia's Robyn Choi is just three shots off the lead heading into the final round of the rain-affected LPGA Classic in New Jersey. Starting her Saturday in a tie for 20th, the 27-year-old from the Gold Coast enjoyed birdies on holes three through six, plus on the ninth, 17th and 18th. Bogeys on 15 and 16 saw her card a five-under 66 to sit in a tie for sixth at eight under, while compatriot Karis Davidson (68) is a further three shots back. They're both chasing Ilhee Lee, who shot a three-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over four players into the third round. Tied for the first-round lead with Elizabeth Szokol after a 63, Lee rebounded from a double bogey on the par-4 eighth with a closing birdie on the par-5 ninth. The 36-year-old South Korean had an 11-under 131 total on Seaview's Bay Course. "Today was totally different day, completely different day, and I knew it was going to be completely different day, so I didn't have any expectations," Lee, who won the 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for her lone tour title, said. "Just like I did yesterday, I was just playing golf. Have fun out there. Made some birdies on first nine." Szokol (69) dropped into a tie for second in the 54-hole event with fellow American Jennifer Kupcho (64) and Japanese players Ayaka Furue (66) and Mao Saigo (65), who had an albatross on the par-5 third. "Just trying to stay patient all day," Szokol said. "Didn't quite have things go as great as yesterday but still playing really good golf." Kupcho birdied the final two holes in her late afternoon round. "Wasn't hitting the ball super great off the tee, but at least out here it's manageable out of the rough or fairway bunkers," Kupcho said. "Was just really giving myself opportunities." Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul shot her second 68 to get to six under, while world No.1 Nelly Korda (66) was five under. Maja Stark, the US Women's Open winner last week at Erin Hills, missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75. Defending champion Linnea Strom also dropped out, shooting 72-75. With AP. Australia's Robyn Choi is just three shots off the lead heading into the final round of the rain-affected LPGA Classic in New Jersey. Starting her Saturday in a tie for 20th, the 27-year-old from the Gold Coast enjoyed birdies on holes three through six, plus on the ninth, 17th and 18th. Bogeys on 15 and 16 saw her card a five-under 66 to sit in a tie for sixth at eight under, while compatriot Karis Davidson (68) is a further three shots back. They're both chasing Ilhee Lee, who shot a three-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over four players into the third round. Tied for the first-round lead with Elizabeth Szokol after a 63, Lee rebounded from a double bogey on the par-4 eighth with a closing birdie on the par-5 ninth. The 36-year-old South Korean had an 11-under 131 total on Seaview's Bay Course. "Today was totally different day, completely different day, and I knew it was going to be completely different day, so I didn't have any expectations," Lee, who won the 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for her lone tour title, said. "Just like I did yesterday, I was just playing golf. Have fun out there. Made some birdies on first nine." Szokol (69) dropped into a tie for second in the 54-hole event with fellow American Jennifer Kupcho (64) and Japanese players Ayaka Furue (66) and Mao Saigo (65), who had an albatross on the par-5 third. "Just trying to stay patient all day," Szokol said. "Didn't quite have things go as great as yesterday but still playing really good golf." Kupcho birdied the final two holes in her late afternoon round. "Wasn't hitting the ball super great off the tee, but at least out here it's manageable out of the rough or fairway bunkers," Kupcho said. "Was just really giving myself opportunities." Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul shot her second 68 to get to six under, while world No.1 Nelly Korda (66) was five under. Maja Stark, the US Women's Open winner last week at Erin Hills, missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75. Defending champion Linnea Strom also dropped out, shooting 72-75. With AP. Australia's Robyn Choi is just three shots off the lead heading into the final round of the rain-affected LPGA Classic in New Jersey. Starting her Saturday in a tie for 20th, the 27-year-old from the Gold Coast enjoyed birdies on holes three through six, plus on the ninth, 17th and 18th. Bogeys on 15 and 16 saw her card a five-under 66 to sit in a tie for sixth at eight under, while compatriot Karis Davidson (68) is a further three shots back. They're both chasing Ilhee Lee, who shot a three-under 68 to take a one-stroke lead over four players into the third round. Tied for the first-round lead with Elizabeth Szokol after a 63, Lee rebounded from a double bogey on the par-4 eighth with a closing birdie on the par-5 ninth. The 36-year-old South Korean had an 11-under 131 total on Seaview's Bay Course. "Today was totally different day, completely different day, and I knew it was going to be completely different day, so I didn't have any expectations," Lee, who won the 2013 Pure Silk-Bahamas LPGA Classic for her lone tour title, said. "Just like I did yesterday, I was just playing golf. Have fun out there. Made some birdies on first nine." Szokol (69) dropped into a tie for second in the 54-hole event with fellow American Jennifer Kupcho (64) and Japanese players Ayaka Furue (66) and Mao Saigo (65), who had an albatross on the par-5 third. "Just trying to stay patient all day," Szokol said. "Didn't quite have things go as great as yesterday but still playing really good golf." Kupcho birdied the final two holes in her late afternoon round. "Wasn't hitting the ball super great off the tee, but at least out here it's manageable out of the rough or fairway bunkers," Kupcho said. "Was just really giving myself opportunities." Second-ranked Jeeno Thitikul shot her second 68 to get to six under, while world No.1 Nelly Korda (66) was five under. Maja Stark, the US Women's Open winner last week at Erin Hills, missed the cut with rounds of 70 and 75. Defending champion Linnea Strom also dropped out, shooting 72-75. With AP.
