- WSL / Kody McGregor

BALLITO, KwaDukuza, South Africa (Tuesday, June 24, 2025) - The picture-perfect coastal town of Ballito is gearing up for an electrifying two weeks of surfing action. It all starts tomorrow with the O'Neill SMTH Shapes Ballito Pro Junior, the third stop on the World Surf League (WSL) Africa Junior Qualifying Series (JQS), followed by the Ballito Open Qualifying Series (QS) 2,000.

With a large international field arriving in Ballito ahead of the Challenger Series event, competitors will be using these events as a warm-up for the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill starting next week.

Connor Slijpen Connor Slijpen - WSL / Pierre Tostee

Juniors Rankings Taking Shape at Stop No.3

The O'Neill SMTH Shapes Ballito Pro Junior is stop no.3 on the WSL Africa JQS, and comes shortly after the eThekwini Surf Pro Junior wrapped up in Durban last weekend where Cape Town's Connor Slijpen and Emily Jenkinson took top honours.

Slijpen is leading the rankings after he won his second Pro Junior title this season. Jenkinson is tied with Anastasia Venter for the top spot, after she won in Durban following a third-place finish at the season opener in Nelson Mandela Bay.

South Africa's top performers in Ballito last year included Slijpen, Rory Dace, Lily Heny and Louise Lepront. Both Lepront and Sljipen have been competing in the Challenger Series this year, adding more international competitive experience to their resume. They'll face some big names including Tya Zebrowski, Sophia Medina, Shion Crawford and Keoni Lasa.

Luke Thompson Luke Thompson - WSL / Kody McGregor

Ballito Open presented by Flojos Provides Extra Reps for Challenger Series Contenders

The Ballito Open presented by Flojos, stop no.2 of the WSL Africa 2025/2026 QS, will feature a deep competitive field including former Championship Tour surfers Matthew McGillivray and Jackson Bunch, and former World Junior Champion Francisca Veselko and Olympian Teresa Bonvalot.

Fresh off a victory at the eThekwini Surf Pro, Luke Thompson will no doubt be one of the favourites at the Ballito Open presented by Flojos. Thompson is the defending event winner and will look to cash in back-to-back victories before he starts his Challenger Series campaign next week.

In the women's draw, South Africa's Challenger Series contenders Louise Lepront, Jessie Van Niekerk and Sarah Baum will hope to get some momentum going before the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill. Baum won the eThekwini Surf Pro last weekend, and is looking forward to getting her Ballito campaign rolling.

"My parents reside in Salt Rock, so I often surf Willard Beach and I'm quite familiar with the break," said Baum. "It will be amazing to get a great result here in front of the home crowd."

The O'Neill SMTH Shapes Ballito Pro Junior will run from 25-26 June 2025, and the Ballito Open presented by Flojos will run from 27-29 June 2025 at Willard Beach.

The first call will be on Wednesday, June 25 at 7:05 a.m. for a possible 7:30 a.m. GMT+1 start.

For more information visit WorldSurfLeague.com

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