Clutch Performances and Mixed Results at the Ballito Pro Presented by O'Neill

BALLITO, KwaDukuza, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa (Wednesday, July 3, 2024) - The Ballito Pro Presented by O'Neill, Stop No. 3 of the 2024 World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series (CS) wrapped up the men's Round of 64 in pumping three-to-four foot surf and light winds. Competitors pushed each other's performances to the next level and no one was safe, with veterans and the next generation getting mixed results.

Highlights From Day 2 Of The Ballito Pro Presented By O'Neill

Former CTers Go Excellent, Rising Stars Make Their Mark

It's been a while since former Championship Tour (CT) surfer Morgan Cibilic (AUS) won a heat, and he was relieved to finally get it done at the Ballito Pro presented by O'Neill, with Keijiro Nishi (JPN) advancing in second. Cibilic locked in the first excellent score of the day with an 8.00 (out of a possible 10) for his powerful and committed turns into the big sections.

"It's so important to win that first heat, I haven't actually made one in a while," Cibilic said. "Hopefully I can get the ball rolling here. It's always nerve-wracking going into the first heat, but I just try to stick to my processes and hopefully I can keep it going."

Nat Young Unleashes World-Class Backhand In Ballito Debut

It was a class act from Nat Young (USA) as the veteran quickly found his rhythm in Ballito. Young was in the right place at the right time, scoring an excellent 8.00 and 7.50 for a heat total of 15.50 (out of a possible 20).

"I had an idea of what I wanted to go out there and take off on," Young said. "Obviously a lot of times that doesn't go how you envision it on the beach, but that kind of went how I was hoping it will go. I think the waves were probably the two best waves of the heat, so it's rare to end up on those in the first ten minutes and it relieves a lot of pressure if you can complete those waves."

It was all guts and glory for Alister Reginato (AUS) and Hiroto Ohhara (AUS) in their respective heats. Coming up against Miguel Pupo (BRA) and Jordan Lawler (AUS), Reginato had his work cut out for him. Keeping his cool, he found a great section to go to the air and earn an 8.33 to take the lead in the final minutes.

Ohhara had a nerve-wracking situation change, jumping from third to first when he locked in an excellent score to bump Deivid Silva (BRA) to second, eliminating Jadson Andre (BRA) and Charly Quivront (FRA).

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Top Seeds Muniz, McDonagh and Lawler Suffer Early Exit

The rankings will see a major shake-up after the first two Challenger Series winners Mikey McDonagh (AUS) and Jordan Lawler (AUS) both suffered early eliminations in the Round of 64. It was heartbreak for McDonagh who injured his foot during a freesurf in Ballito earlier in the week. Grimacing through the pain, the youngster from Lennox Head still paddled out and tried his best, but just fell short of second place.

Also failing to advance was no. 2 seed Alejo Muniz (BRA) and World Junior Champions Jett Schilling (USA), Jarvis Earle (AUS) and Mateus Herdy (BRA).

The next call will be on Thursday, July 4 at 07:00 AM GMT+2 for a possible 07:35 AM start.

The Ballito Pro is supported by O'Neill, KwaDukuza Municipality, Surfing South Africa, Corona, The North Coast Courier, Monster Energy, SMG and Coca-Cola.