Women's Quarterfinals Decided At Caparica Surf Fest 2025

PRAIA DO PARAISO, Costa da Caparica, Portugal (Thursday, April 17, 2025) - The World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) Caparica Surf Fest 2025 enjoyed some of the best conditions of the week so far, with fun two-to-three foot surf, light winds and pleasant weather. Wrapping up the women's Round of 32 and the Round of 16, the Quarterfinals are locked in. The next call will be Friday, 18 April at 7:00 a.m. GMT+1 for a possible 7:35 a.m. start.

The implications for Challenger Series qualification are taking shape, with Portugal's top seeds Francisca Veselko and Teresa Bonvalot advancing to the Quarterfinals. Bonvalot had a nerve-wracking heat in the Round of 16, coming up against Veselko, Camilla Kemp (DEU) and Nahia Milhau (FRA). It was a tight battle and a flurry of waves at the end added to the tension in the air. Veselko got the win with Bonvalot sneaking into second place with her last wave.

"It was a close one, I felt like every wave I got wasn't that good," Veselko said. "Halfway in I moved down to the middle of the beach to get some space and give myself more opportunities. As I got there, I caught that left which was my best wave, so I was stoked. It's all about consistency, so that's the main aim, because you have to get consistent results on the Challenger Series if you want to make it to the top, and it's not so easy."

Surfing without any pressure on her shoulders, Tiara van der Huls (NLD) won both her heats today, having fun while getting in great experience competing against some of the best European competitors. Pauline Ado (FRA) kept her nerve to lock in her best score right at the end to advance alongside Van Der Huls.

"I was sitting at the same spot where I was this morning," Van Der Huls said. "I'm excited and curious, going into my first-ever Quarterfinal with head-to-head heats, which I've never done before. It's nice to come here to compete and train, just to get that experience, because there's not a lot of waves back home!"

Portugal's Maria Salgado handed out one of the biggest upsets of the day, eliminating top seed Anat Leilor (ISR). Salgado made sure to put the pressure on her competitors right from the start as she locked in a solid 7.00 for her first wave, and immediately backed it up to take control of the heat. Alys Barton (GBR) slowly built house and held onto second to move into the Quarterfinals.

"I feel very good, the waves were so fun in our heat, I'm happy I made it" Salgado said. "I have been working very hard, so now I just want to go out there and have fun." Janina Zeitler (DEU) and Sarah Leiceaga (FRA) round out the Quarterfinals with some smart surfing to eliminate Charlotte Mulley (GBR) and Mafalda Lopes (POR). Zeitler has been one of the in-form surfers of the event, getting the highest single wave score of the event in her Round of 16 heat, an excellent 9.00 for her powerful and snappy turns.

"It feels amazing, finally all my hard work is paying off," Zeitler said. "I'm really excited for the Quarters. I think we'll get waves, but the strategy stays the same to be loose, have fun and get the best waves."

The next call will be Friday, 18 April at 12:30 p.m. for a possible start at 1:05 p.m. GMT+1.

Watch all the action LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com, on the free WSL app and the WSL YouTube.

The Caparica Surf Fest will run from April 15 to April 19, 2025 at Costa da Caparica, Portugal.

The Caparica Surf Fest is proudly supported by Almada City Council, Visit Portugal, Estrella Galicia, MEO, Millennium BCP, Wotels, Hertz, Cabreiroa with media partners SIC, SportTV, Radio Comercial, M80, Cidade FM, Expresso, Record, and MEO Beachcam.