Jessie van Niekerk Wins Cape Town Surf Pro and WSL Challenger Series Qualification Alongside Louise Lepront
Jessie van Niekerk has won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) Cape Town Surf Pro QS 1,000 in pulsing two-to-three foot surf at Long Beach in Kommetjie, Cape Town, in the Western Cape on Sunday, 30 March 2025.
The stakes were at an all-time high in the WSL Africa 2024/2025 QS season’s final event, to determine the regional champion and the 2025 Challenger Series qualifiers.
To add to the pressure of the event, small conditions forced a lay day on Saturday, but a new swell filled in overnight for a full day of action on Sunday. The building swell and strong offshore wind made for an exciting day with massive performances, capping off a memorable season for the WSL Africa region.
The tension was palpable in the air for the women’s Final at the Cape Town Surf Pro, with more on the line than just the event title for Anastasia Venter and Jessie van Niekerk. Whoever came out on top, would claim the last remaining Challenger Series spot for the region.
Venter took control of the heat at the start, increasing the pressure on Van Niekerk to respond. Wave selection was the point of difference as Venter found a few gems that offered her more of an open face to work with. Van Niekerk clawed her way back into contention after making a few mistakes that almost cost her dearly.
“It was definitely a shaky performance,” Van Niekerk reflected. “I would’ve loved to put together a few better heats, but I always hold on to a bit of faith that I can put it together at the end, trusting God to pull together all the pieces.”
Her experience from competing on the Challenger Series shone through, and she found her best two scores as time was winding down, and then utilised her priority to keep Venter off more opportunities. It was a tough loss for Venter, but a sigh of relief for Van Niekerk.
“I can pinpoint an exact heat on the Challenger Series where I pulled together the heat in eight minutes, instead of how you should do it in 25 minutes!”
“My Challenger Series experience definitely plays into holding it together until the very last second. I’m starting my third season, and I want to put in more work than what I’ve ever done and have a really solid season.”
WSL Africa QS 1,000 Cape Town Surf Pro Champion, Jessie van Niekerk
Getting the final round’s surfing underway was delayed by the lay day, and the only surfing possible on the quiet Saturday was the determination of the two Women’s Round of 10 qualifiers for the quarterfinals, with Emily Jenkinson and Aimee du Preez the top two surfers gaining admission to the Quarterfinals, where neither of them will feel hard-done by losing to the day’s finalists, Jessie van Niekerk and Anastasia Venter respectively.
The Quarterfinals round saw Natasha van Greunen narrowly defeat Danielle Powis, and Louise Lepront out-surf Kira Hofmeyr, bringing the top four women surfers in the draw into the Semifinals.
While Louise Lepront had an insurmountable lead at the top, it was a battle for the last remaining qualification spot for the 2025 Challenger Series between Natasha van Greunen, Jessie van Niekerk and Anastasia Venter, with less than 10 points separating the three.
It was a nail-biting Semifinal between Van Greunen and Van Niekerk, with Van Greunen keeping the pressure on Van Niekerk until the dying seconds. Surfing with confidence after her win at the Vic Bay Surf Pro, it was heartbreak for Van Greunen when she didn’t get the required score to advance over Van Niekerk, losing out on Challenger Series qualification.
In the second Semifinal, Venter surfed a smart heat against Lepront to book her spot in the Final.
Coming into this last event, no one could deny Louise Lepront the title of WSL Africa Regional Qualifying Series Champions for 2024/2025, she has enjoyed a stellar season with consistent results, and her stand-out performance at the Pro Taghazout Bay QS 3,000 in Morocco made a big difference to their points.
Lepront won the eThekwini Surf Pro QS 1,000 and the SA Open of Surfing QS 1,000 in Gqeberha and ended her season with an equal third-place at the Cape Town Surf Pro.
After wrapping up the sixth and final event of the 2024/2025 season, the region’s Challenger Series qualifiers for 2025 were decided, with the top two women on the final QS rankings qualifying, and Louise Lepront and Jessie van Niekerk will represent Africa on the Challenger Series.
“I’m really excited to compete on the Challenger Series. It’s been such a fun couple of events leading up to this. I really hope I can make my country proud on the world stage.”
2024/2025 WSL Africa Regional Qualifying Series Champion, Louise Lepront
The surfers will enjoy a good break before the 2025 Challenger Series kicks off in Newcastle, Australia in June for the first of five events.
The Cape Town Surf Pro, Stop No.6 of the WSL Africa 2024/2025 Qualifying Series, ran from 29-30 March 2025, and was proudly supported by City of Cape Town, Accelerate Sport, Surfing South Africa and Red Bull.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Cape Town Surf Pro QS 1,000 Women’s Final Results at Long Beach in Kommetjie, on Sunday, 30 March, 2025
1. Jessie van Niekerk (RSA) 10.44
2. Anastasia Venter (RSA) 9.13
Cape Town Surf Pro QS 1,000 Women’s Semifinal Results
Heat 1: Jessie van Niekerk (RSA) 11.06 Def. Natasha van Greunen (RSA) 10.67
Heat 2: Anastasia Venter (RSA) 12.33 Def. Louise Lepront (RSA) 10.87
Cape Town Surf Pro QS 1,000 Women’s Quarterfinal Results
Heat 1: Jessie van Niekerk (RSA) 11.83 Def. Emily Jenkinson (RSA) 7.16
Heat 2: Natasha van Greunen (RSA) 7.70 Def. Danielle Powis (RSA) 7.67
Heat 3: Louise Lepront (RSA) 8.27 Def. Kira Hofmeyr (RSA) 6.76
Heat 4: Anastasia Venter (RSA) 9.67 Def. Aimee Du Preez (RSA) 7.40
Round of 10 Results on Saturday, 29 March, 2025
Heat 1″ Emily Jenkinson 8.50 (Adv to QF HT 1) Def. Aimee du Preez 8.33 (Adv to QF – HT 4), Emma Schermbrucker 3.47 (Eliminated), Charlotte Copson 2.83 (Eliminated).
Original Copy: WSL Africa, with editing by gsport
Main Photo Caption: Jessie van Niekerk has won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) Cape Town Surf Pro QS 1,000 in pulsing two-to-three foot surf at Long Beach in Kommetjie, Cape Town, in the Western Cape on Sunday, 30 March 2025. All Photos: Kody McGregor/World Surf League
Photo 2 Caption: Van Niekerk’s (left) win qualifies her with Louise Lepront (right) to represent Africa on the WSL 2025 Challenger Series.
Photo 3 Caption: Jessie van Niekerk beat Anastasia Venter in a tense final to grab the Challenger Series qualifier spot with her win in Cape Town.
Photo 4 Caption: 2024/2025 WSL Africa Regional Qualifying Series Champion Louise Lepront enjoyed a stellar season with consistent results.
Photo 5 Caption: Heartbreak for Anastasia Venter (pictured), who had an early lead in Sunday’s final, but Van Niekerk’s experience won her the day.
Crédito: Link de origem