Surfing-Moore, Toledo favourites for world titles, Ewing battling back

Hawaii's five-time world champion Carissa Moore and Brazil's reigning title holder Filipe Toledo head into the Rip Curl WSL Finals in California in the coming days as the top ranked surfers and favourites to add to their world title tallies.

Australian Ethan Ewing, who fractured two vertebrae in a wipeout last month, is battling to be fit for the one-day competition of the top five men and women surfers from the 10-stop professional world tour.

The contest will be held in the best conditions between Sept. 8-16 at Lower Trestles, Southern California's epicentre of high-performance surfing and home break to the top two ranked men, Toledo and 25-year-old Griffin Colapinto.

"Filipe will be very tricky to beat," said Tom Carroll, a two-time world champion from Australia. "He's coming off a really big year, and he's in really commanding form at this wave particularly.

"And then you've got Griff, he's incredible. He's been a bit hit and miss in competition this year but Griff has got this potential at Lowers that could be a real surprise."

Fifth seed Jack Robinson was brimming with confidence after winning the last contest in Tahiti while Ewing's injury would make it difficult to be fully back to his best, Carroll said.

Ewing flew out to California from Australia last week saying his rehab had been going well and his pain levels had dropped significantly after breaking his back barely a month ago in Tahiti.

"I’ve still got a long way to go but I’m doing everything I can to give myself a chance to compete at Trestles," he said on Instagram.

EXPERIENCE MATTERS

Since the new one-day, top five, head-to-head Finals was introduced two years ago, both Moore and Toledo have experienced the highs and lows of the format.

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