American Surf Icon Caroline Marks Reaches WSL VIVO Rio Pro Semifinals

The next stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour is rapidly approaching the final round in Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Shocking upsets have been the primary theme of the competition — elite surfers Gabriela Bryan, Caity Simmers, Bettylou Sakura Johnson, and Isabella Nichols faced elimination early on while their opponents advanced.

After dominating Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb with a shattering 12.16 over Weston-Webb's 4.10 quarterfinals score, 23-year-old Caroline Marks of the U.S. advanced to the next round, knocking Weston-Webb, who just returned to the CT after a hiatus, out of the competition.

"There's no crowd like Brazil," said Marks, per a WSL social media post. "I also had Tati in my heat, who is definitely a fan favorite. It's cool. You can let the crowd get to you and the pressure, or you can let it hype you up. I was trying to let it excite me."

Elite Surfer Caroline Marks Reaches VIVO Rio Pro Semifinals

Now chasing after yet another monumental victory, Marks continues to deliver promising results in Brazil, proudly representing her nation every step of the way. As she heads into the semifinals, expectations have been set incredibly high for the young icon.

Across the board, results in the quarterfinals were fairly low, with a current high score of 12.80 by Luana Silva, followed by Marks' 12.16, which came after her rides of 6.33 and 5.83. With both athletes advancing to the semifinals, they will be pitted against each other, battling it out on the water in hopes of securing a spot in the finals.