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Close Calls and Big Hits At The Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill
Bianca van Aardt
The charts have been as unpredictable as some of the results at the 2021 Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill.
While strong winds are expected to hit the seaside town of Ballito, event organisers woke up to small but clean surf and decided to run the opening day of the Women's QS 1,000.
It seems like there's no stopping Zoë Steyn. The goofy-footer from East London was still fresh from her win at the O'Neill SMITH Shapes Rookie Rippers the day before. Coached by South Africa's Olympic surfing coach Greg Emslie, she quickly showed that there are some great scoring rides on offer.
Taking off on a beautiful runner, Steyn meticulously stitched a three-turn combination together for the single highest wave score of the Ballito Pro so far, an impressive 9.83. This was just the second round of competition for the day, and Steyn sent everyone to combo-land. Cruising into the quarters, she dispatched Durban's Teal Hogg who was caught in another combination situation, to secure her spot in the semifinals against seasoned veteran Heather Clark.
Multiple South African champ, Clark had a tough battle with Tanika Hoffman in her Quarterfinal heat. Perhaps it was the competitive experience or just patience in the conditions to edge out Hoffman in the dying minutes.
After two years of no competitions, the locals were hooting for Salt Rock's Sophie Bell who was up against top junior seed Ceara Knight from Cape Town. It was a close battle, and despite Knight scoring the best wave of the heat, Bell pipped her with a mere 0.10 points. That's surfing for you!
The last Quarterfinal heat of the day saw South Africa's women's Challenger Series competitor, Natasha Van Greunen take on the current under-16 SA champ Sarah Scott. They pushed each other for the full 25-minutes and it was Scott who came out on top with less than 5 minutes on the clock. Nail-biting stuff for those in the water and those on the beach, but that was just the starter and we're expecting dessert before mains in the Women's Final tomorrow.
Tune in to watch the action LIVE right here on WorldSurfLeague.com, the WSL app and WSL YouTube!
Sarah Scott
Watch a selection of images from the last event held at Seal Point.
Challenger Series qualification spots are on the line.
Big hits and tough losses in testing conditions.
Watch the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill Women's QS 1,000 Finals Day
The goofy-footer wins the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill Women's QS1,000
Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill
The Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill gets underway with the Womens QS1,000.
An unforgettable experience during the 2019 Ballito Pro.
The first Qualifying Series in Africa for the 2021 season.