Sol Aguirre finished fifth in the QS 6000 in Portugal
He missed qualifying for the CT and climbed in the South American regional rankings
Janire González Etxebarri finished third in the QS 6000 Galicia
Hans Odriozola and Carla Morera de la Vall finished fifth, Lucca Mesinas, Arena Rodríguez and Catalina Zariquiey ninth
Jake Marshall and Sierr Kerr won the US Open and took the top spot in the rankings.
They defeated Kanoa Igarashi and Isla Huppatz respectively in the grand final
Daniella Rosas made progress in Huntington
Sol, Ariane, Leilani, and Janire said their goodbyes; the men haven't gone into the water yet; Lucas, Alan, and Carlos are present at the event
Did the WSL announce changes for CS?
Can the quota be expanded to accommodate additional CT participants?
Ariane and Sol finished third in Ballito
They equaled their best historical results in CS, starting the season on the right foot
Sol Aguirre made it to the semifinals in Ballito
The Peruvian started her campaign to enter the CT strong
Amatriain withdrew from the Challenger Series
"The priority is to get back to 100%, instead of rushing back before I'm really ready," reflected the Basque surfer.
Ariane, Sol, Leilani and Brisa advanced and made it to the round of 16 in Ballito
Daniella, Janire, Arena and Nadia said goodbye to the event in the round of 32
Among the men, the Ballito Pro was left without any Spanish speakers.
Sean Gunning, Yago Dominguez, Lucca Mesinas and Conor Donegan couldn't make it past the 64 round
Daniella, Ariane, Janire, Leilani and Arena advanced in Ballito
They made it to the round of 32, where they join Brisa, Sol, and Nadia.
Yago, Sean, and Conor advanced in Ballito
Alonso and Nadav said goodbye to the event; the women are in the water
The European wildcards for the Challenger tournaments went to Morais and Thyssen.
The next best in the QS and the best woman in the CS who failed to requalify were invited
Costa Rican and Israeli Nadav Attar qualified for the 2026 Challengers
“Getting here was my biggest goal in recent years, and saying that I’ve achieved it is a feeling that’s hard to describe in words,” he said.
British Alys Barton appeals to her supporters to pay for her CS entry
He needs to raise US$34.000 to pay for flights, accommodation, registration fees, and other expenses.
Slijpen, Bouchgua, Masencamp, De Vries, Baum and Lepront qualified for the challengers
The six who qualified through Africa were determined today
Dantas, Barbosa, Silva and Kainalo are guaranteed spots in the Challengers
Wesslley is already the South American champion; none of the four can be removed from the top 7; with Alonso already in, there are two places left.
Alonso Correa is already guaranteed a spot in the Challengers.
With the round of 32 now closed, there's no way they can knock him out of the top 7 that qualifies
Lucas Vicente on CS: “The level isn’t high… It’s brutal”
The former junior world champion made a series of observations after completing a full season in the B league: “You can train every day, give it your all, and still lose.”
Cibilic, Robson and Berry also secured spots in the 2026 CT
Now there are two spots left and three surfers with a mathematical chance of getting them; Muñoz and Cassity made it to the round of 16.
Nadia lost and was left at the mercy of the other results.
Fifth in the ranking, it can drop as low as 7th to stay within the qualifying zone
International QS 6000 events can award points towards the Challenger ranking
There are already three confirmed events with this format for 2026
Sally Fitzgibbons guaranteed another return to the CT
She is the third to achieve this, and now there are four places available and one stage remaining.
Nadia Erostarbe finished ninth in Pipe
She maintained her fifth place in the ranking, while Annette González Etxebarri fell to seventh; both remain in the qualifying zone for the final stage
Weekly Editorial: Two hard blows from the WSL to its biggest fans
To the surfers and the usual specialized media
Callum Robson won the CS at Pipe and is now in contention to return to the CT
Cibilic, Colapinto and Hanneman completed the final, the latter being the only one guaranteed a spot on the CT, nine places remain for Newcastle
Joey Johnston's strategy to stand out at the Pipe Challenger
“I drank beer all day until midnight, I woke up to surf the first set (…) And yesterday I did the same thing,” he said.
Muñoz and Amatriain made it to the round of 32 at Pipe
Along with Arena, Annette and Nadia, they are the only Spanish speakers still alive at the event
The unequal treatment of Hawaiians and the injustice it creates for CS competitors
For the first time in Challenger history, a round of invited local players has been created; it adds to the spectacle but leaves much to be desired in terms of sporting quality.
These are Pipe's CS series
Unlike the rest of the tour, they created an entire round for Hawaiians; Simmers, Picklum, and Brooks were entered.
Cleland signed up for the Pipe CS
He joins other CT members such as Joao Chianca, Cole Houshmand, Leo Fioravanti, Crosby Colapinto, Jake Marshall and Barron Mamiya
Newcastle secured as a Challenger Tour stop in 2027
For now, it's the only stage confirmed by the WSL for that year.
The switch to the Challenger format was key to Jesse Mendes' retirement
"You'd reach the quarterfinals and win $100, while you paid $200 just for registration (...) It was crazy. I said, 'I'm leaving. I've lived my dream,'" he recounted.
Annette finished second in Saquá and within the qualifying zone
He advanced 15 spots in the rankings, from 21st to sixth; Hopkins and Pupo won the event.
Annette reached the final and entered the qualifying zone for the CT
The youngest won the duel between sisters; currently, two Basque surfers are in the top seven, which qualifies for the elite.
Annette, Arena and Janire reached the quarterfinals in Saquarema.
They are now 13, 14 and 25 respectively in the live rankings
These are the Saquarema CS series
The event starts tomorrow; CT top surfer and local wave rider Joao Chianca is signed up.
Brisa and Annette reached the semi-finals at the US Open
Nadia placed fifth and remains fourth in the ranking, González Etxebarri rose 24 places and went to 18th
These are the US Open series
This is how Yago, Adur, Lucas, Lucca, Keoni, Alan, Cali, Franco, Leilani, Daniella, Janire, Arena, Sol, Annette, Brisa and Nadia make their debut
Nadia Erostarbe achieved a historic victory in the Ballito challenger.
She climbed 17 spots in the rankings and entered the reclassification zone for the CT; she is fourth.
Nadia Erostarbe reached the semi-finals in Ballito
He took an important step toward returning to the CT; he will face Sally Fitzgibbons.
With a score of 10, Lucas Cassity made it to the round of XNUMX in Ballito.
The Mexican will face Eli Hanneman again; Nadia and Sol also advanced, facing Bonvalot and Veselko respectively.
Lucas and Franco advanced to the round of 32
Cali, Keoni, Adur, Lucca, and Yago were eliminated; the women didn't go into the water today.
Lucas, Adur, Yago, Arena, Leilani, Janire and Sol advanced in Ballito
Daniella and Annette left the event early; Nadia, Lucca, Cali, Franco, and Keoni are expected to debut tomorrow.
These are the Ballito Challenger series
This is how Lucas, Adur, Yago, Cali, Keoni, Franco, Lucca, Arena, Leilani, Annette, Daniella, Sol and Janire go
The Rio Pro wildcard should go to Arena Rodríguez
And in the men's category, Peterson Crisanto is the highest-ranked surfer from WSL South America in challengers, the most commonly used criterion for awarding invitations at the CT.
Veselko and Willcox won in Newcastle
Fitzgibbons and Vaast finished second; this is how the ranking was based on the first stage.
Sol, Arena and Leilani were eliminated in the round of 16 in Newcastle.
They couldn't beat Fitzgibbons, Veselko and Zebrowski respectively.
Sol, Arena and Leilani reached the round of 16 in Newcastle.
Carlos, Nadia, and Daniella bid farewell with strong performances; the Lowers wildcard was won by Dimitri Poulous; the women's wildcard is still being contested by Leilani, Eden, and Kirra.
Carlos passed by and the rest said goodbye.
Only Yago Domínguez remained to compete and the women did not go into the water.
Arena, Sol, Keoni, Yago and Adur's reaction to Pipe's inclusion
The queen of the waves is in the challengers and this is what some of her competitors had to say
Two events have been added to the Challenger Series.
Pipe and a repeat stage in Newcastle are on the scene; there will be seven events in total, adding five to the final ranking.
These are the Newcastle challenger series
These are the matches between Adur, Lucas, Yago, Franco, Cali, Lucca, Keoni, Sol, Janire, Annette, Arena, Daniella, Leilani, and Nadia.
Caio Ibelli withdraws from the Challenger Series due to financial issues
He believes the $17.500 investment isn't worth the effort and that it's "paying to work." For now, it's a see you later, not a goodbye, he said.
Huscenot rounded out the men's European CS qualifiers.
Ruben's feat didn't happen; Annette, Anat, Francisca, and Tya, the new European champion, entered the women's category; these are the last challengers to qualify.
Keoni Lasa and Adur Amatriain are already guaranteed spots in the 2025 Challengers.
Jorgan Couzinet and Afonso Antunes are also in the mix; the three remaining spots are decided between Charly, Maxime, Yago, Renan, Hans and Ruben, Ido, and Thomas (the last three need a win and a combination of results).
The qualifiers for the African challengers were defined.
And with this, all the CS members for the WSL regionals have been defined, except for Europe.
Sol Aguirre received the wildcard for the WSL South America CS
This was confirmed by the entity on its Instagram.
The CS qualifiers for Oceania and Asia were defined.
Father and daughter, Josh and Sierra Kerr qualified
These are the first challengers to qualify: Tahiti Nui Region defined
Eight Hawaiians, one Dutchman and one Tahitian
WSL and Lexus sign multi-year contract
They do not specify how many; the car brand will be a sponsor of the WSL awards, the Pipe Pro, the Trestle Pro, the US Open of Surfing and the WSL finals.
Mexican and French, French and Mexican, Mignot, won in Saquá and qualified for the CT
These are all those qualified for CT 2025 through CS 2024
Alan and Nadia will be first substitutes in the CT 2025
It is highly expected that both will be in the elite stages by 2025
Erin Brooks and Miguel Pupo guaranteed in CT 2025
And now there is one place left for women and six for men; among them are Nadia and Alan with chances of qualifying; review their scenarios
Alejo, Sally, Bella and Isabella were also guaranteed in the CT 2025
After the Ericeira stage, Nadia Erotarbe and Alan Cleland remained within the classification zone
Samuel Pupo is the second to qualify for CT 2025
He joined Ian Gouveia who was already guaranteed; now there are eight places left of the 10 who enter the elite.
“The evolution of wave technology and the region itself present interesting opportunities for the WSL”
What WSL CEO Ryan Crosby said about the partnership with the Arab group that runs the pool in Abu Dhabi
Alan Cleland just won the first US Open in history for Mexico
“I want to say, ‘Long live Mexico’ and that we are here for the world! There is talent in Mexico and we know how to surf small and big waves,” he said; he rose 42 places in the ranking and is in the CT zone.
Nadia Erostarbe reached the semis at the US Open and got back into the CT zone
With two quarter-finals and two semi-finals, the surfer from the Basque Country already has a very reasonable sum to make her dream come true with two stages remaining.
Nadia and Alan reached the quarterfinals at the US Open
This is the fifth consecutive quarter-final for the Basque surfer and the seventh of the last eight challengers in which she competed; she partially moved into fourth place in the ranking.
The first to qualify for CT 2025: Ian Gouveia
The Brazilian returns to the elite after an impeccable 2024 in the challengers; he guaranteed himself two stages before they end
Erostarbe finished fifth in Ballito and is still on track for qualification
She remains partially fourth in the ranking and only if Kenworthy wins and Fierro is second will she leave the classification zone.
These are the series of the Ballito Pro, the third challenger of the year
The confrontations of Cali, Kai, Lucca, Alan, Ariane, Sol, Janire, Nadia, Daniella and Leilani
Moments on the Gold Coast with Nadia Erostarbe and friends
Slater, Occy and much of what happens behind the screen
Erostarbe finished third in Sydney and entered the CT qualification zone
With four stages remaining, this is the fourth of five that qualify
The most incredible 4,03 in history
Which they called “the worst judged wave in history” or “the best 4,03 in history” and for which the WSL ended, in a historic way, admitting its error
Daniella Rosas and Alejo Muñiz received WSL wildcards for the challengers
These are all the qualifiers for the challenger series through the WSL South America
Nadia was not given Erostarbe
She achieved her best result in the challengers, but did not qualify; Isabella Nichols completed the picture
Deivid Silva returned to the elite and the top 10 were finalized
Marco Mignot narrowly missed out on Samuel Pupo in the quarter-finals; here are all the qualifiers
Samuel Pupo guaranteed his return to the CT
And now there are two places left for four surfers in the 2024 elite; these are the scenarios
This is the situation for the last possible male qualifiers for CT 2024
There are three places left and seven surfers capable of getting them
Hispanic Americans in the Challenger Series: What was missing? What could be improved?
Daniella, Mimi, Miguel and Lucca respond
If Nadia Erostarbe wins in Saquarema she qualifies for the CT without depending on anyone
And, regardless of her result, having reached the quarterfinals already guaranteed her a spot in the top 10 and therefore, at least, in the 2024 challengers; Isabella Nichols is keeping an eye on her
Spencer, Lindblad, Devault, Hanneman and Marshall also guaranteed themselves in the CT
There is one place left to be defined among the ladies and three for the men.
DUKE Newsletter (October 16, 2023)
The main surfing news of the moment, discussed, explained and briefly analyzed
Frederico Morais and Crosby Colapinto advanced and were guaranteed in the CT 2024
They joined Cole Houshmand and Jacob Willcox and now there are six spots available at the men's level.
Editorial of the week: Mathematically we have a chance
The light that Lucca and Nadia lit for the CS of Saquarema
Mesinas and Erostarbe have mathematical chances of getting into the CT
Both depend on the results of their contenders; the first must reach the final, the second, win.
The preview of the CS de Saquá with everyone in the water
Yesterday was a day of good waves in Itaúna
Brazilian Luli Pereira is the new director and head of judges of the WSL
The position has changed its profile as he will now be head of all WSL tours and competitions.
Deivid Silva and Alyssa Spencer won in Portugal, they were on the verge of CT 2024
Sally Fitzgibbons is the first woman to secure a spot in the 2024 CT via the Challenger Series
Sol Aguirre competed with an injured hand and suffered the same
The Peruvian cut herself with her keel while surfing yesterday, received two stitches and was in pain and with little mobility, she almost won the series
Second guaranteed in the 2024 elite: Jacob Willcox
After trying for several years, the Western Australian made it into the CT; there are now eight places available
The Ericeira challenger series are out
These are the matches of the fifth challenger of the year that begins this Sunday
Leilani McGonagle achieved a historic third place at the US Open
She was unable to beat Fitzgibbons by 0,4; the Costa Rican, along with Ochoa, Erostarbe and Rosas, made it into the top 25 of the ranking with two stages remaining
Two years after making the finals, Conner Coffin retired from competitive surfing
At 30 years old, she joins the club of those disenchanted with the WSL tour
Nadia Erostarbe reached the round of 16 for the second consecutive challenger
After finishing fifth in Ballito, the surfer from the Basque Country continued her good run in Huntington
Matías Maturano is not at the US Open because the embassy denied his visa
"I feel sad and helpless for not being able to be on the first date, but I will not give up, I know there are challenges along the way," he said.
Cole Houshmand guaranteed to be in the CT 2024
The Californian power surfer is the first new name confirmed in the elite
Filipe Toledo has withdrawn from the US Open
A member of his team had problems returning from South Africa and will now end up leaving for Teahupoo early.
These are the US Open series
Filipe, Kanoa and Leo are present in the challenger; Miguel and Carlos are in the same series and the same happens with Leilani, Ariane and Mimi
These are the Sydney Challenger series
Tudela goes straight to round of 64; Sophia Medina invited to the event
Samuel and India won on the Gold Coast
Lucca and Ariane started their campaign at 17 and Miguel and Sol at 25
Last year's ranking was used
The explanation that seems to be the most accurate as to why Miguel Tudela is in the round of 80 and not seeded in the round of 64
The Gold Coast Challenger Series is here
This is the path for test 1 of six that qualifies for CT 2024
Mateus Herdy: “If you were in my place, you would do the same: you would get hurt and ask for a wildcard”
“I heard that I had my spot coming through South America but I didn't know that I was using someone else's spot (…) I thought that my spot came from the international WSL,” said the surfer.
Leilani McGonagle secured her spot in the challengers for the second consecutive year
She finished fourth in the WSL North American regional rankings; check out the rankings from that office here
Oceania and Asia representatives for the 2023 Challenger Series have been defined
Surfers from Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sweden have qualified for the B section of the world tour
Right-hand point and beach break specialists also favoured in Challengers
Of the six stages, three are on right-hand points and the rest are on beach breaks.
Finally: WSL announces full Challengers schedule
There will be six events that qualify for the CT: Two in Australia, Ballito, Ericeira, Huntington and Saquarema
Why is Saquarema the only place in the world that manages to do a CT, a CS and a QS?
Tax incentive law that private companies must comply with and sponsorship of the state of Rio de Janeiro
WSL confirms Brazilian stage of Challenger Series
It will be in Saquarema between October 14 and 22; together with those in Australia, only three stages have been confirmed.
These are all the South American qualifiers for the challengers
Leo Casal took the last male spot, Silvana the last female spot
Giorgi, Usuna and Vargas with a good performance in Noronha were close to the qualification zone for the challengers
Satt and Gundensen remain in the top 8; Tudela, champion in advance, has already qualified a while ago
There will be no Haleiwa challenger this year
The health of the B of world surfing is getting more complicated
WSL confirms first two stages of 2023 Challenger Series
Snapper Rocks and Narrabeen open the tour in May
The incredible tiebreaker between Teresa and Sophie was for the number of series victories
It was one of the closest finishes in the history of sport.
It was not given to Lucca
He will not be in the CT but will surely keep his place in the challenger series
Everything indicates that the Haleiwa challenger begins today and these are the series
The last qualifiers for CT 2023 are defined; John John returns to the competition
Lucca Mesinas finished ninth in Saquarema and travels to Haleiwa in the top 15 of the ranking
He needs a good result in Hawaii to reclassify
These are the Saquarema Challenger series
Everything indicates that the penultimate challenger of the year begins tomorrow Tuesday
Medina will return to competition at the Saquarema Challenger
For the first time since the creation of the CS, there are free spaces in the women's stage; Argentine Nacho Gundesen will debut in the challengers; review all the entries here
The number of challenger competitors will be reduced from 2023 onwards
From 96 to 80 for men and from 64 to 48 for women; the number of regional qualifiers will also decrease
Messinas made it to the round of 16 and secured his best result of the season so far
He won his second series of the day; now he will face local Cole Houshmand
Lucca, Leilani and Nadia made it to round 3 of the US Open
This is the best result of the year for the surfers from Costa Rica and the Basque Country, the Peruvian has now equalled what he achieved in Ballito
The US Open series are already here with Carlos Muñoz confirmed for the tournament
This is the first challenger for the Costa Rican so far this year.
Lucca Mesinas said goodbye to Ballito in 17
With priority he let Michael Rodrigues go on a mini wave, the Brazilian needed 2,9 and they gave him 3,3
Lucca Mesinas made it into the top 24 in Ballito
With an aerial with one minute left, the Peruvian turned the series around and enters round 3 for the first time in this challenger season
Lucca, Daniella and Arena advanced in Ballito
Marco, Adur, Leilani, Izzi, Ariane, Leticia and Garazi were eliminated today
Former world champion Barton Lynch will no longer commentate for the WSL, at least this year
Meanwhile, his counterpart in the Portuguese broadcast, Icaro Cavalheiro, resigned from his position because he feels he has lost freedom.
Santiago Muñiz advanced in Ballito
Vicente Romero and Alan Cleland were eliminated on the first day of competition in the third challenger of the year
Joshe Faulkner will be the local wildcard in J-Bay
The fluid goofy footer will surely face Filipe Toledo in round 1
Alonso Correa stayed in the third round in Sydney and achieved his best result of the year
Among the ladies, the best were Ariane Ochoa and Nadia Erostarbe who reached round 2; the challengers now go to Ballito
Some thoughts after Carlos Muñoz was denied a wildcard
“What you just did is wake up a lion,” they told me.
Only Adur advanced
Lucca, Cleland, Leticia, Havanna, Brisa, Arena and Leilani said goodbye to the tournament
These are the Gold Coast Challenger Series
This is how Adur, Alonso, Lucca, Santiago, Alan, Leilani, Arena, Brisa, Daniella, Nadia, Ariane and Havanna go
Alonso Correa entered the main draw of the Snappers Challenger
He is already guaranteed a place at the first two stops of the tour that qualifies for the CT
Alan Cleland is already on the Gold Coast training for the first challenger of the year
Weeks after securing the QS 3000 in Barbados, the Mexican arrived in time to get to know the wave and is breaking it; watch the video
38 CT surfers, including Kelly, are entered for the Gold Coast challenger
Ariane Ochoa entered the main event, it is very likely that Alonso Correa will also do so as the first alternate; Leticia Canales and Marco Giorgi wait in the fifth and seventh places in the line
These are the Asian qualifiers for the challengers
Six men and six women; nine Japanese and three Indonesians
Africa defined the qualification of the challengers
Hawaii should have them but there is no official information about who these are; check out the review of this region
CT and Challenger will take place in Saquarema; New Zealand was left out
The WSL has updated its schedule; as for the wildcard criteria, there will be four official wildcards per tournament plus those left free by the members of the CT
Lucca Mesinas in an interview: “I still can’t believe it”
The Peruvian gave DUKE his first interview after securing a spot in the CT, after becoming the first Hispanic-American man to do so.
Miley-Dyler: “We understood that there were some unintended consequences of periods”
The WSL competitions manager reviewed what happened with the controversial rule that she chose not to use this year
In addition to Hennessy, Lau and Bryan were also guaranteed in the CT 2022
The Ultimate Surfer wildcard spot then does not go to Koa Smith and goes back to the WSL who will decide who will award it; Igarashi generates another wildcard and an approximate cut line was established.
Carlos Muñoz: “Focused on continuing to surf, set by set, wave by wave”
The Costa Rican in an interview; once again one step away from CT glory: “Keeping a positive mind has helped me a lot, thank you Yahweh,” he says
Ariane Ochoa's historic third in Ericeira put her in the CT qualification zone
If she keeps up her pace, she would become the first Spanish female surfer to enter the top division of world surfing; Costa Rican Hennessy is practically guaranteed to make it to the elite, having climbed to number 2 in the rankings.
