Hawai'i surfers Coco Ho and Melanie Bartels advanced to the quarterfinals of the Gidget Pro women's contest yesterday, and remained in contention for the 2009 world title.

The opening day of the Gidget Pro was run in wave-face heights of 5 to 10 feet at Sunset Beach.

Ho is currently ranked No. 4 on the ASP Women's World Tour; Bartels is No. 6.

No. 1-ranked Stephanie Gilmore of Australia also advanced to the quarterfinals, and can clinch the 2009 world title with a victory at the Gidget Pro.

The Gidget Pro is the sixth of seven contests on the 2009 ASP Women's World Tour.

"It'd be nice to sew it up here at Sunset, but it's going to be pretty difficult," Gilmore said. "It's really close and I doubt it'll wrap up here, but you never know."

Other Hawai'i surfers advancing to the quarterfinals yesterday were Megan Abubo, Alana Blanchard, Bethany Hamilton, Carissa Moore and Malia Manuel.

Blanchard won the Vans Hawaiian Pro last week and is the current leader in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing women's standings. The Gidget Pro is the second event in the Triple Crown series.

Moore's two-wave score of 14.83 in the first round was the best of the day. She had to win a separate trials heat in the morning to get into the contest.

The men's O'Neill World Cup of Surfing ran just half of its first-round heats yesterday, also at Sunset Beach.

Joel Centeio of Hale'iwa maintained his momentum by winning his first-round heat. He won the Reef Hawaiian Pro earlier this week to take the lead in the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing.