A past Tahiti Pro champion, Vahine Fierro didn’t advance out of the opening round. Photo: Hannah Anderson//WSL
Teahupo’o provides some of the best home-field advantage on the Championship Tour. See: Kauli Vaast’s Olympic gold and Vahine Fierro’s 2024 CT win. But as the women’s Tahiti Pro opening round got underway on Tuesday, Fierro and Tya Zebrowski — surfers with local knowledge — struggled in challenging conditions where tubes were scarce and scores were low. Both bowed out of the event early.
Fierro, who won the event in 2024 as a wildcard, looked well on her way to winning her round one heat, showing her knowledge of the reef with a delayed bottom turn into an inside tube worth 5.33 points. Meanwhile, Isabella Nichols looked out of sorts on her first attempts. But as the heat progressed, Nichols found her footing, connecting two backhand turns and finding a quick, but thick tube. Meanwhile, Fierro never managed to find a backup score, losing the heat despite owning the best wave.
Zebrowski, the 15-year-old rookie, came into the Tahiti Pro with her season-best result — a second-place finish in Brazil. Competing at her home break on the CT for the first time looked like the perfect opportunity to build on her success. Perhaps it was nerves, but she didn’t outwit her opponent, Erin Brooks. Brooks found a quick tube and resorted to forehand snaps to easily defeat Zebrowski, who only mustered a two-point heat total.
The one case in women’s round one where local knowledge prevailed was with the 14-year-old wildcard Kelia Gallina. Gallina, in her second Tahiti Pro wildcard appearance, didn’t look fazed against former world champ Tyler Wright. Despite taking a huge set on the head and snapping her leash early, Gallina swam for the channel, regrouped, and made a tube later in the heat. Her 5.34 total squeaked by Wright’s 4.57.
Gallina is now the only Teahupo’o local still in the women’s draw. She’ll face Caroline Marks — who won Olympic gold in Tahiti in 2024 — in round two. On the men’s side, the 2024 Olympic gold medalist Kauli Vaast is the last local remaining after Seth Moniz defeated wildcard Eimeo Czermak in round one.
