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Port Elizabeth To Host Volkswagen SA Open Of Surfing This Weekend
Craig Jarvis
Nelson Mandela Bay - This weekend will see the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing pres by Hurley take place at Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth. The event is one of the highlights of the WSL Africa Tour and will feature a Women's QS 3000, Men's QS 1000, and Junior Men and Women's QS 1000 rated events. The contest will run from 13-17 June and is the second to last stop on the City Surf Series, with the addition of the Vic Bay Classic from 20-22 June.
The field for the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing is littered with top international and local surfers, with the best South African surfers set to face off against some formidable opponents. The Women's QS 3000 is particularly top-heavy with some of the most talented female surfers in the line-up. The South African surfers are stacked up with local knowledge and experience in the waves of Port Elizabeth and Pollock Beach, but the competition will be fierce nonetheless.
The world-class field of international competitors include top seeds Philippa Anderson, Mahina Maeda (JPN), as well as former world champion Sofía Mulánovich (PER) and former CT surfer Pauline Ado (FRA).
Along with Maeda, the Japanese have a deep field of contestants in this event, with over ten surfers entered including the likes of Sara Wakita, Nao Omura and Emily Nishimoto.
In the Men's QS 1000, South Africa's Matthew McGillivray (Jeffreys Bay) will compete in his first event on the WSL Africa Tour after a demanding international schedule for the first half of the year. McGillivray's hard work resulted in a 3rd place finish at the Heroes de Mayo Iquique Pro in Chile recently and he is currently placed 36th on the WQS International ratings board.
He will face tough competition from a confident Dylan Lightfoot (Jeffreys Bay), who recently won two consecutive QS titles on the WSL Africa Tour, including the Royal St Andrews Hotel Port Alfred Classic and the Vans Surf Pro Classic in Lambert's Bay. Other international surfers include Jordan Lawler from Australia, Daniel Farr from New Zealand and Brian Jean Patrice Furcy from Mauritius. These three international surfers are no strangers to surfing in South Africa, having all competed on the South African leg before.
The Men's Junior QS 1000 is looking to be possibly the most cut-throat competition going down, with only a few hundred points separating Luke Slijpen (Llandudno), Luke Thompson (Durban) and Eli Beukes (Kommetjie) on the WSL Africa Junior leaderboard.
The Women's Junior QS 1000 will see a battle go down between two top seeds in Zoë Steyn and Ceara Knight, but they will be up against the international surfers like Kirra Pinkerton (USA), Shino Matsuda from Japan and Pacha Luque-Light from Australia, as well as Rachel Presti from Germany and Piper Harrison from Australia.
There is a promising forecast for surf throughout the entire contest period, and there is much excitement in the air. The next event on the City Surf Series is the Vic Bay Classic from 20-22 June 2019.
Eli Beukes
Watch a selection of images from the last event held at Seal Point.
Exciting finish to the WSL Africa 2021/2022 season.
Big hits and tough losses in testing conditions.
Kommetjie To Host Men and Women QS1,000
The Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill QS5,000 Finals Day
Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing
Watch the highlights from finals day at the Volkswagen SA Open of Surfing pres by Hurley
It was a fast-paced final day for Women's QS 3,000 and Men's QS 1,000 in Nelson Mandela Bay.
Junior Champions Crowned on Day 4
Pro Junior Champions crowned after epic day of surfing at Pollock Beach in Port Elizabeth
Watch some of the epic surf that went down on Day 3!