Betting Preview for the 2022 World Surf League Women’s Championship

Carrisa Moore will be hoping to defend her crown when the 2022 WSL Championship Tour gets underway on January 29.

For the first time in the history of the World Surf League, the 2022 format features a combined men’s and women’s schedule, giving Moore – and her rivals – equal exposure.

Moore clinched her second consecutive title in 2021, fending off seven-time champion Stephanie Gilmore. The reigning champ now has five titles to her name, but can she secure a sixth title in 2022?

If the bookmakers’ odds for the WSL Women’s Championship are anything to go by, then Moore stands an excellent chance of winning three titles in a row. Still, it goes without saying that rivals like Caroline Marks and Tyler Wright will be eager to stop that happening.

This betting preview contains odds for the 2022 World Surf League Women’s Championship and analysis of all the main contenders, along with some useful tips and predictions for the WSL.

Unsurprisingly, BetUS views Carissa Moore (3.00) as the favorite to win the 2022 WSL Women’s Championship. Not only has the Hawaii native won each of the last two titles, but she has also secured five of the previous ten.

Carloine Marks (5.50), Tyler Wright (6.00), and Tatiana Weston-Webb (6.50) are all relatively evenly priced – suggesting any of them could challenge Moore for the title.

Gilmore’s compatriot, Sally Fitzgibbons (10.00), has been handed the same price by the bookies after finishing third last season.

Before we dive any deeper into the 2022 season, let’s look back at previous years and find out which surfers have claimed the women’s crown over the past decade.

Across the past decade, three surfers have dominated the WSL Women’s Championship: Moore, Gilmore, and Wright.

Moore has won five of the previous ten available titles, including each of the last two. Gilmore has triumphed on three occasions in that time, while Wright has won twice.

As the table below shows, the 2020 season was cancelled due to the pandemic.

It is worth remembering, however, that Gilmore secured four straight titles between 2007 and 2010 before Moore burst onto the scene.

With more than a decade between her first and last triumph, the Aussie cannot be overlooked when it comes to betting on the World Surf League Women’s Championship in 2022.

It’s time to take a closer look at the leading contenders.

In this section, I will analyze the favorites and discuss their chances. Let’s check it out.

Moore was just 19 years old when she secured her first World Championship all the way back in 2011, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the title.

Fast-forward to today – the 29-year-old has five world titles to her name.

The Hawaiian won three titles in five years between 2011 and 2015 before suffering a three-year drought. It didn’t take her long to return to the top of the sport, though, as she triumphed again in 2019.

After sealing her fifth WSL triumph in 2021, Moore became the first woman in history to win an Olympic gold medal in surfing – defeating South Africa’s Bianca Buitendag in Toyko.

Moore is carrying both the WSL CT title and Olympic title into the 2022 season, so there is no denying that she’s the best in the business right now.

If she remains consistent throughout the upcoming campaign, she will be extremely difficult to stop.

Believe it or not, Marks will still be a teenager when the 2022 Championship Tour gets underway. But she is already recognized as one of the best surfers on the planet.

The wave-riding prodigy is the youngest female to compete in a World Surf League event, having debuted in 2018. Remarkably, she notched three third place finishes during her maiden campaign.

The Florida-born phenom then claimed four Tour podiums in 2019, winning events in Australia and Portugal, as well as finishing third on two occasions.

For someone so young, Marks’ career trajectory is astounding. The teenage sensation is already among the top surfers in the world, so it is surely only a matter of time before she wins the WCT title.

Is 2022 too soon? I don’t think so.

There was a time when Wright was the best female surfer on the planet. I mean, the Aussie won back-to-back WCT titles in 2016 and 2017 – emphasizing her ability.

Unfortunately, chronic fatigue syndrome saw her miss the second half of the 2018 season. Despite skipping five of the ten events that year, she still managed to finish twelfth after clinching two podiums before her setback.

Wright then missed 90% of the 2019 campaign due to illness, returning for the final of event of the year. She ended up claiming second place in Hawaii, reminding everyone what she is capable of.

The cancelled 2020 season came as a blessing in disguise for Wright, as it enabled her to fully recover from her illness. In her comeback campaign, she finished sixth in the final standings with one event win to her name.

At 27, Wright still has more than enough time to get her hands on a third WCT trophy. Having showed glimpses of brilliance last season, 2022 could be her year.

Weston-Webb was officially the second-best surfer on the Women’s Tour last season.

The Brazilian-born Hawaii local secured four podiums in seven events during the 2021 campaign, including a first-place finish at the Boost Mobile Margaret River Pro in Australia.

She then secured then runner-up spot in the finals, finishing just 3,055 points behind Moore. That may sound like a big margin, but to put things into perspective, Gabriel Medina won the Men’s Championship by 12,665 points last season.

Weston-Webb finished fourth in the final standings back in 2018 before ending the 2019 campaign in sixth place. Weston-Webb secured second place last season, so there is a sense that she is still improving.

If the 25-year-old can pick up where she left off in 2021, there is no reason why she can’t compete for the title in 2022.

Gilmore won a phenomenal six WCT titles in eight seasons between 2007 and 2014, including four in a row at the beginning of her hot streak. However, the rise of Moore and Wright saw the Aussie fall by the wayside.

Since then, the 33-year-old has registered finishes of fourth and fifth. Her consistency saw her secure six top-five finishes in seven events last season, with a victory coming at the Corona Open in Mexico.

If you’re betting on the WSL Women’s Championship in 2022, write off Gilmore at your peril. The seven-time champ is still one of the best surfers on the Tour, so it wouldn’t be a shock if she secured an eighth title.

Priced at 10.00 by the bookies, Sally Fitzgibbons looks like a great outside bet to win the Women’s WCT title in 2022.

The Australian was ranked No. 1 in the world after winning the Rio Pro in June 2019 and finished third in the final standings last season. She sealed one event win in 2021, along with three third-place finishes – underlining her consistency.

France’s Johanne Defay finished just 965 points behind Fitzgibbons in fourth place in 2021. The 27-year-old won the Jeep Surf Ranch Pro in California last season and also claimed second place in Australia.

Courtney Conlogue is always worth keeping an eye on. She may not be the force she once was, but she is still capable of winning events and racking up points.

It is difficult to gauge how Lakey Paterson will fare in 2022, having missed the majority of the previous campaign through injury. The Californian finished third two seasons ago after winning two events, so she knows what it takes to compete for the trophy.

Isabella Nichols burst onto the scene in 2021, finishing eighth in her breakout Tour. Although she is priced at 34.00 to triumph in 2022, it is worth noting that she secured four top-five finishes last season.

Given Moore’s recent domination of the sport, odds of 3.00 for the Hawaiin to win a third straight title seem very generous. Moore won both the WCT title and Olympic title in 2021, so she feels like a secure bet to lift the trophy again in 2022.

If you want to play it safe, backing Moore is a good idea. That said, there are plenty of other contenders to considering – especially if you’re looking for a bigger price.

With a colossal seven world titles under her belt, Gilmore has been there and done it before. She knows exactly what it takes to secure the silverware, so I wouldn’t be shocked if she triumphed in 2022.

As for Fitzgibbons, she finished third in the overall standings last season – finishing outside of the top nine just once in seven events. Considering she picked up one event win and three third place finishes in 2021, I’m surprised her price isn’t lower here.

Let’s face it – nobody would bat an eyelid if Moore clinched a sixth title in 2022. But if you want more bang for your buck, Gilmore and Fitzgibbons are worth a shot.

If you want to bet on the winner of the Men’s Tour, too, make sure you check out my betting preview for the 2022 World Surf League Men’s Championship.

Betting Preview for the 2022 World Surf League Men’s Championship

The 2022 World Surf League Championship Tour gets underway on January 29, with the best surfers on the planet returning to Hawaii’s iconic Pipeline for the first event of the year. Following an unusual 2021 campaign due to the pandemic, the 2022 WSL CT...

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