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Fantasy Surfer Comes to Abu Dhabi For the First Time Ever

Originally posted on SURFER | By Ray Bergman | Last updated Feb 11, 2025 2:30 PM ET

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We're one event through the 2025 WSL Championship Tour and the race for the Final 5 is wide open. Our current ratings leaders Barron Mamiya and Tyler Wright are looking to capitalize on their early leads. With reigning world champ John John Florence walking away from the tour for the rest of 2025, the men's title race could hinge on anyone that is able to put enough points together before the mid-season cut to be in an untouchable spot. Of course, with the final event format, even a #1 seed is vulnerable heading to Fiji.

Heading to Abu Dhabi, it may seem like a foreign concept, but with their years of experience in California's Kelly Slater Wave Pool, the Championship Tour surfers are going to look right at home. This is the first event at a wavepool outside of the continental United States, so we are going to see something very familiar in a different place. With that being said, expect a lot of familiarity atop the leaderboard once the event is completed. Lakey Peterson, Filipe Toledo, Italo Ferreira, Griffin Colapinto, Caroline Marks, and Caitlin Simmers have all tasted success in the wave pool. Expect them all to make the cut and show their style at this high performance venue.

Unlike a normal event held in the ocean, the wave pool can actually run on a pretty tight schedule. Assuming there are no breakdowns with the pool or weather delays, we should be starting right on time February 14th (evening of February 13th in the USA). So get yourself prepped for an event that is going to begin right at the beginning of the contest window.

Gabriel Medina and Crosby Colapinto continue to sit on the sidelines with their respective injuries. Johanne Defay has recovered and (as of the writing of this preview) will be in the event.

If nothing else, a trip to the Middle East lines up as one of the more interesting Championship Tour locations we've ever seen.

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Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Women's Qualifying Round Matchups

HEAT 1: Brisa Hennessy (CRC) vs. Lakey Peterson (USA) vs. Bella Kenworthy (USA)
HEAT 2: Caroline Marks (USA) vs. Isabella Nichols (AUS) vs. Luana Silva (BRA)
HEAT 3: Caitlin Simmers (USA) vs. Bettylou Sakura Johnson (HAW) vs. Macy Callaghan (AUS)
HEAT 4: Molly Picklum (AUS) vs. Johanne Defay (FRA) vs. Vahine Fierro (FRA)
HEAT 5: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA) vs. Gabriela Bryan (HAW) vs. Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS)
HEAT 6: Tyler Wright (AUS) vs. Sawyer Lindblad (USA) vs. Erin Brooks (CAN)

Surf Abu Dhabi Pro Men's Qualifying Round Matchups

HEAT 1: Jake Marshall (USA) vs. Connor O'Leary (JPN) vs. Edgard Groggia (BRA)
HEAT 2: Barron Mamiya (HAW) vs. Miguel Pupo (BRA) vs. Jackson Bunch (HAW)
HEAT 3: Jack Robinson (AUS) vs. George Pittar (AUS) vs. Ian Gentil (HAW)
HEAT 4: Ethan Ewing (AUS) vs. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) vs. Mateus Herdy (BRA)
HEAT 5: Griffin Colapinto (USA) vs. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) vs. Kauli Vaast (BRA)
HEAT 6: Italo Ferreira (BRA) vs. Joel Vaughan (AUS) vs. Bronson Meydi (INA)
HEAT 7: Yago Dora (BRA) vs. Cole Houshmand (USA) vs. Samuel Pupo (BRA)
HEAT 8: Jordy Smith (RSA) vs. Seth Moniz (HAW) vs. Deivid Silva (BRA)
HEAT 9: Rio Waida (INA) vs. Ryan Callinan (AUS) vs. Alejo Muniz (BRA)
HEAT 10: Filipe Toledo (BRA) vs. Ian Gouveia (BRA) vs. Marco Mignot (FRA)
HEAT 11: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) vs. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) vs. Alan Cleland (MEX)
HEAT 12: Joao Chianca (BRA) vs. Ramzi Boukhiam (MOR) vs. Liam O'Brien (AUS)

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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