Reigning surfing world champions Carissa Moore, Italo Ferreira win first WSL event of year at Newcastle

The reigning women’s and men’s surfing world champions Hawaii’s Carissa Moore and Brazil’s Italo Ferreira have won the first World Surf League event of the year in Newcastle.

Moore put on a dominant performance in the final, scoring a nine-point-five and a six, to defeat Australian tour rookie Isabella Nichols, who struggled to find a decent wave.

Nichols had eliminated seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore earlier in the competition and said she was happy with her performance in what was her very first year on tour.

“I’m really proud, honestly, I didn’t expect to get this far and for me to have a heat against not only Steph and then Carissa, two of my childhood idols, it’s so…