POLLOCK BEACH, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Sunday, March 16, 2025) - Today, Louise Lepront and Connor Slijpen won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) SA Open of Surfing QS 1,000 in contestable three-to-four-foot surf and strong offshore wind at Pollock Beach. Natasha Van Greunen and Luc Lepront finished runners-up respectively.
It was an intense day of competition, completing multiple rounds, but the conditions improved dramatically after Saturday's gale-force onshore situation. The conditions changed quickly in the morning, allowing the men and women to deliver their biggest performances of the event.
Louise Lepront - WSL / Kody McGregor
Louise Lepront Extends Lead on WSL Africa QS Rankings
In the women's Final, there was a flurry of waves exchanged between top seeds Natasha van Greunen and Louise Lepront as soon as the buzzer sounded. Fresh off a spectacular result at the Pro Taghazout Bay QS 3,000 in Morocco, Lepront was definitely carrying this momentum and confidence into her approach at the SA Open of Surfing.
Van Greunen didn't have the same success in Morocco, but she was driven by her experience and fond memories of competing at Pollock Beach to find the good scoring opportunities available.
There was not a lot of downtime in the Final, with both surfers staying active to improve on their scores and catching 10 waves each in the 25 minutes. Lepront had a slight edge over Van Greunen with her first wave, and then improved with a solid back-up score. Van Greunen never gave up and earned her two best scores in the latter half of the matchup, but it wasn't enough and Lepront earned the win. With this result, Lepront extends her lead atop of the WSL Africa QS rankings and is on track to qualify for the 2025 Challenger Series.
Connor Slijpen - WSL / Kody McGregor
Connor Slijpen Earns First-Ever QS Title
Taking some notes from his sister's winning performance, Luc Lepront was quick out of the gates to put a score on the board in the men's Final against Connor Slijpen. Slijpen was right behind him and soon this matchup was gaining steam.
Lepront, a former finalist at the SA Open of Surfing, took an early lead, but Slijpen wasn't rattled. In his first-ever WSL QS Final, Slijpen produced a handful of searing turns for a 6.83 (out of a possible 10) to jump into first. He backed it up with another decent 6.00 ride to shut it down with a total of 12.83 (out of a possible 20), with Lepront having to settle for runner-up.
The SA Open of Surfing title stays in the family, with Connor following in brother Luke's footsteps, who won in 2024. Luke Slijpen was eliminated in the Round of 16, but Connor went all the way after defeating an in-form Adin Masencamp in the Semifinals. Slade Prestwich looked dangerous after eliminating WSL Africa QS No.1 Luke Thompson in the Quarterfinals, but he was stopped in his tracks by Luc Lepront in the Semifinals.
As part of the City Surf Series, the SA Open of Surfing has become a solid fixture on the WSL Africa QS calendar.
"Accelerate Sport are grateful to the sponsors and the team on the ground who has made the SA Open of Surfing a successful reality," said Accelerate Sport CEO Kudzi Nzombe. "Accelerate Sport through the City Surf Series takes great privilege in supporting and working with athletes of conscience, especially African surfers."
Competitors will now travel down the Garden Route to George for the next stop on tour, the Vic Bay Surf Pro QS 1,000 from 22-23 March 2025.
The SA Open of Surfing ran from 15-16 March 2025 at Pollock Beach, Gqeberha.
The SA Open of Surfing is supported by Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, Astron Energy, Accelerate Sport, Surfing South Africa and Red Bull.