Stephanie Gilmore wins Cascais pro 2014

Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) vs. Stephanie Gilmore (AUS)

The Final of the Cascais Woman's Pro was a powerhouse battle pitting the World Rankings leader Sally Fitzgibbons against the Title race leaderStephanie Gilmore. Though Gilmore can no longer clinch the World Crown in Portugal are nil, a win at Cascais would see her overtake Fitzgibbons in the rankings and give her the yellow jersey for the final event in Maui.

Gilmore drew first blood, winning the opening exchange by a narrow margin. She won the second exchange with a midrange score for multiple forehand hacks, but Fitzgibbons fired back with a speedy attack, managing two closing maneuvers by trading forehand and backhand hacks. Her efforts earned her a 7.17 and the first lead change with 20 minutes remaining.