Peruvian Miguel Tudela advanced to the semifinals at the QS 5000 in Saquarema and guaranteed himself a spot in the 2023 challengers, the WSL Latin America press office informed DUKE.

With the 12042 points guaranteed for having advanced to the semis after beating his friend, the Venezuelan Lolo Bellorín in the quarterfinals, in addition to ensuring that he will leave Saquarema remaining as leader of the ranking, he became the first of the eight members of the region in the 2023 challengers.

According to Joao Carvalho, WSL press officer, the only major event confirmed for now before April 2023 (when qualification for challengers closes) is Noronha at level 5000. Making it impossible for eight surfers to beat Tudela and displace him from the qualification zone.

The Punta Hermosa native has been performing perfectly in the challenger series, becoming the first surfer in history to win three consecutive events in the QS: Galápagos, Iquique and Arica a few months ago. And he is two steps away from scoring a fourth; he will face young Ryan Kainalo in the semis.

Having qualified for the challengers, Tudela needs to be among the top 10 in those series to qualify for the CT, which is his main objective.