Mick Fanning suffered an early loss at the hands of injury replacement Sebastian Zietz. It was a difficult result for Fanning who is unsure about how many of the 11 events he will be competing in after deciding to take some personal time in this season. Fanning still hopes to use his rank at the end of the season to requalify which will require him to finish inside the Top 22 by the end of the Pipe Masters.