GERROA'S Sally Fitzgibbons has fallen just short of achieving back-to-back World Surf League titles, being defeated in the US Open of Surfing final by France's Johanne Defay on Monday.
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Defay's win was her first-ever on the elite Championship Tour.
She defeated Fitzgibbons in a tense final at Huntington Beach Pier.
Crucial to her win was an early jump on the action, in which she earned a heat-high score of 7.67 for a series of backhand snaps.
That opening performance gave her the lead and put pressure on Fitzgibbons, who was left looking for a 5.52.
Fitzgibbons found a comeback wave with just five minutes left, showcasing a flat reverse and taking it through the reform for 7.00 and the lead. With the tension mounting and the seconds ticking down, Defay answered with two big turns for 5.87.
The score put her back in the lead.
It was the second time Defay beat Fitzgibbons during this event, having done so in round one when she posted the competition's top heat score of 17.44 out of 20.
Defay moves up to sixth spot on the rankings.
Fitzgibbons retained third spot, with America's Courtney Conlogue leading the tour ahead of Hawaii's Carissa Moore.
