01-07-2025
Four South Africans remain in Ballito Pro title charge
All four seeded South African surfers remain in the hunt for the Ballito Pro Challenger Series title.
Jeffrey's Bay's Matt McGillivray, Cape Town's Adin Masencamp and Luke Thompson and Sarah Baum from Durban are carrying the hopes of the host nation as they compete for glory over the next few days.
McGillivray, Masencamp and Thompson all made it through the Round of 64 on Tuesday (July 1).
There was some concern that McGillivray, a Championship Tour regular and recent Olympian, was going to be left behind in his heat after struggling to find a decent wave to couple with his opening 5.0 score. He showed up with three big turns on his final wave however, catapulting him into the safety of second place behind Australian Oscar Berry.
Masencamp found the going easier in his earlier surf, delivering two rock solid scores of 7.67 and 6.47 to win the heat ahead of Japan's Hiroto Ohhara.
Local hopeful Thompson, who was celebrating his birthday, could not have asked for a better present than a mostly stress-free heat win ahead of American Dimitri Poulos. All three men will be back in the Round of 32.
South Coast surfer Luc Lepront was the only unseeded South African to make it through the initial men's Round of 80, but he was unfortunately knocked out at the next stage.
Baum was given a bye through the women's Round of 64 by way of her seeding and will compete for the first time in the Round of 32.
Follow the action live at Willard Beach or via
Stay in the loop with The North Coast Courier on Facebook, X, Instagram & YouTube for the latest news.
Mobile users can join our WhatsApp Broadcast Service here or if you're on desktop, scan the QR code below.
At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
