Finals Day at Stop No. 10 of 12 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2025 Championship Tour (CT), the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, is ON in solid six-to-eight foot surf that is expected to build throughout the day. The women’s Quarterfinals will get competition underway at 7:33 a.m. GMT+1 before the competition moves into the men’s Quarterfinals, women’s Semifinals, men’s Semifinals, and women’s and men’s Finals. All heats will be 35 minutes. As the penultimate stop on the regular season, a place in the Lexus WSL Final 5 is on the line, adding more pressure for those on the cusp of making the cutoff.
The race for the WSL Final 5 is heating up with the top eight women on the rankings still in contention in J-Bay. The women’s Quarterfinals will kick off with World No. 2 Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and two-time World Champion Tyler Wright (AUS).Heat 2 will see a classic goofy-versus-regular battle at Supertubes between 2023 World Champion Caroline Marks (USA) and 2024 World Champion Caity Simmers (USA).
World No. 1 Molly Picklum (AUS) will face 2023 J-Bay winner Lakey Peterson (USA) in Heat 3 of the Quarterfinals, while World No. 4 Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) will face World No. 5 Isabella Nichols (AUS) in Heat 4.
With Jordy Smith (RSA) and Italo Ferreira (BRA) out of the event, there will be a definite shift in the rankings, and a spot in the WSL Final 5 could be on the line. Yago Dora (BRA) will be in the first heat of the men’s Quarterfinals against an in-form Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA). Both Dora and Fioravanti have delivered some of the best performances of the event so far.
World No. 3 Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) faces Griffin Colapinto (USA), who is currently ranked No. 6. Every heat matters, and Colapinto could cause a big upset and potentially move into the WSL Final 5.
Rookie Marco Mignot (FRA) will face two-time World Champion Filipe Toledo (BRA) in Heat 3, and former event winner Ethan Ewing (AUS) will look to hold onto his position in the top five when he comes up against Connor O’Leary (JPN) who is surfing without any pressure on his shoulders to make the Final 5 cutoff.
Watch the Corona Cero Open J-Bay LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com.
WSL Announces Format Updates for 2025 Lexus WSL Finals Fiji
Today, the WSL announces format updates for the 2025 Lexus WSL Finals Fiji, held at Cloudbreak in Fiji from August 27 through September 4, 2025. If the No. 1 seed wins the first heat of the best-of-three World Title match, they will clinch the World Title without needing to surf a second or third heat. Additionally, the top-seeded surfer in all Matches will start with Priority.
These updates add new weight to the top ranking at the end of the regular season, offering the No. 1 seed a greater competitive advantage heading into the Finals.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
Corona Cero Open J-Bay Women’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Tyler Wright (AUS)
HEAT 2: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Caroline Marks (USA)
HEAT 3: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA)
HEAT 4: Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) vs. Isabella Nichols (AUS)
Corona Cero Open J-Bay Men’s Quarterfinal Matchups:
HEAT 1: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
HEAT 2: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Griffin Colapinto (USA)
HEAT 3: Marco Mignot (FRA) vs. Filipe Toledo (BRA)
HEAT 4: Connor O'Leary (JPN) vs. Ethan Ewing (AUS)
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
