Yolanda Hopkins, the 28-year-old Algarve surfer, finished the Fiji Pro this Tuesday in fifth place, after being eliminated in the quarterfinals of the eighth stage of the World Surf League (WSL) world circuit by Australian Isabella Nichols in the Cloudbreak tubes. The Portuguese surfer tried to respond to her opponent, who arrived in Fiji in 10th place in the world ranking, entering several tubes, but could not complete her maneuvers with a clean exit. Nichols finished the heat with 9.67 points, against the 6.77 achieved by Yolanda.
The Algarve surfer thus returned to achieve a notable result after, in the previous stage in Teahupoo, Tahiti, she achieved the best result of her career on the world circuit, with a third place. The National Surfing Association (ANS) highlighted the Portuguese woman's adaptation to demanding conditions, considering that Yolanda "once again showed great competence and aptitude for consequence waves" and that "it was not for lack of attitude that she fell short at the Fiji Pro".
Despite the elimination, the result should allow the Portuguese surfer to virtually rise to 14th place in the world ranking, when before the Tahiti and Fiji stages she was in 20th position. According to the ANS, the Algarve surfer is now heading to the next stage "within reach to guarantee direct requalification for the 2027 World Tour".
Francisca Veselko finished the Fiji Pro in ninth place, after being eliminated in the second round by American Lakey Peterson, current world number seven. The result allows Kika Veselko to rise from 23rd to 22nd place in the world ranking. The 23-year-old Portuguese surfer remains well placed in the Challenger Series, a competition in which she won the first stage of the season, a circuit that could be another path to secure continuity among the women's world elite in 2027. The next stage of the world circuit runs from September 11 to 20 in Trestles, California, a location that will also host the Olympic surfing competition at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.
