Surfing: Hareb wins opening heat

Paige Hareb. Photo / ASP, Scholtz

New Zealand's top surfer Paige Hareb has comfortably won her first round heat in the third leg of the women's surfing world tour at Back Beach in New Plymouth today .

Hareb revelled in home ground conditions to score 15 points to see off Australians Chelsea Hedges (7.9) and tour rookie Taylor Wright (6.75).

Hareb appeared unaffected by a rib injury as she scored 6.75 early on in the heat before cementing her position with a 7.25 and finishing off with a classy 7.75 on her second to last wave.

This result sees Hareb go straight through to the third round while Hedges and Wright go into the repechage heats.

Defending champion Carissa Moore, of Hawaii, won heat three with a combined score of 12.75.

In second place was New Zealand wildcard Sarah Mason who scored 11.3 ahead of Australian Jessi Miley-Dyer's 10.5.

Mason will take on Brazil's Silvana Lima in the repechage.

Others to advance to the third round were Australian Sally Fitzgibbons, who won her first ever ASP event last week at Victoria's Bells Beach, with 18.45 in heat four, world champion Australian Stephanie Gilmore with 16.1 in heat five, American rookie Courtney Conlogue with 16.1 in heat two and Melanie Bartels with 13.95 in heat six.

- NZPA