MEREWETHER BEACH, Newcastle, NSW, Australia (Sunday, June 8, 2025) – Francisca Veselko (POR) and Jacob Willcox (AUS) have claimed victory at the 2025 Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy, Stop No. 1 of the 2025 World Surf League (WSL) Challenger Series (CS). The pair overcame a massive field of challengers, all in the hunt for a spot on the 2026 WSL Championship Tour (CT), as huge crowds lined the shore and Merewether delivered another day of epic, groomed, three-to-four foot surf for SURFEST’s return to the world stage.
Willcox Earns His Maiden Challenger Series Win to Top Rankings
Western Australia’s Jacob Willcox (AUS) has broken through to earn his maiden Challenger Series victory as he looks to find his way back to the elite Championship Tour after missing the Mid-season Cut in his Rookie season of 2024. The super-talented goofy-footer has been pegged as a title threat since his junior years but has struggled to make a huge impact in the competitive arena, until today, where he took his biggest win to join the likes of Kelly Slater (USA), Mark Occhilupo (AUS), Mick Fanning (AUS) and Joel Parkinson (AUS) as a winner at Newcastle SURFEST.
“This has been a long time coming,” Willcox said. “I’ve had a lot of losses to get this win, and it feels incredible to finally get it. It’s taken a lot of hard work to get here, and that was the best moment of my life on the beach just then. Coming in and having my crew tell me that I probably had it and share that moment with them was so special.”
After an impressive showing throughout the event, Willcox came up against fellow goofy-footer Kauli Vaast (FRA) in the Final, with both surfers getting a great start early, trading mid-range scores with Willcox getting a slight advantage. From around the halfway point, the ocean slowed right down and left both competitors waiting for a wave for over 10 minutes until a quick flurry in the dying seconds gave Vaast one more chance to clinch the lead. Unfortunately for him, the wave didn’t offer the opportunity to convert, leaving Willcox to take the win with a two-wave total of 12.30 (out of a possible 20).
“The final was pretty slow in the end, but I was just telling myself that sometimes the ocean just gets on your side and gives you some luck, and you find some rhythm, and I feel like this week I found some rhythm and some luck. That’s the thing with our sport, you just never know when you’re going to get your moment. My moment was today, so I was stoked.”
Veselko Claims Biggest Career Win as First Portuguese SURFEST Winner
Francisca Veselko (POR) has claimed the biggest result of her career, winning her first-ever Challenger Series event at the Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST at Merewether Beach. The 2023 World Junior Champion built momentum throughout the event and Finals Day in particular, posting the highest two-wave total of Finals Day to overcome Tya Zebrowski (FRA) in the Semifinals with a 15.16 that included an 8.83 single-wave score. Veselko has joined the likes of Layne Beachly (AUS), Stephanie Gilmore (AUS) and Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) as a SURFEST winner, the first ever woman to do so from Portugal, and will leave Australia leading the Challenger Series rankings as she looks to qualify for the 2026 Championship Tour.
“I’m tripping, I don’t know what to say really,” Veselko said. “This is the best day of my life for sure. There has been a lot of work in the lead-up to this by my team, my family and my coach. My coach has been with me since I was eight and sacrificed a lot to help me get to here, so this is special. What the heck, I can’t believe I won a challenger. I’m really proud of myself and everybody around me.”
In the Final, Veselko came up against Australian surfing icon Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), who had been a standout all event. The pair went back and forth early, but in the end, it was Veselko’s wave selection and rhythm with the sets that saw her get the advantage, posting two solid single-wave scores for a 14.60 two-wave total.
“It was insane to share a Final with Sally,” Veselko continued. “She is such a warrior and a legend and a true inspiration for someone who always fights until the end. She just fell off tour and is already back here fighting to get back. She isn’t afraid of the new generation and pushes for us. She is a legend and I love her.”
Kauli Vaast and Sally Fitzgibbons Finish Runners Up at Merewether
Australian surfing icon Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) has put on an inspirational performance in Newcastle to shake off the disappointment of missing the Mid-season Cut on the Championship Tour with a runner-up finish here in Newcastle. Fitzgibbons’ experience showed all week as she put on some of the best performances of each round to end up in the Final against Veselko. In the end, she was unable to find the waves she needed to post a winning score, but she has her re-qualification campaign off to a super strong start.
“It’s been an emotional week, and I feel like my heart and soul have been through a washing machine,” Fitzgibbons said. “So to get back two days later and get this result feels amazing. It’s always tough not to go all the way and bring it home in the Final with all of the support on the beach, but the energy down here is amazing. I’ve been competing here since I was 10, and it’s always such a special event to come to, so I’m stoked to get this Challenger season off to this start at this place.”
Olympic Gold Medalist Kauli Vaast (FRA) has started his quest to qualify for the Championship Tour, sitting at No. 2 on the rankings after a runner-up finish in his maiden Challenger Series event Final. Vaast was one of the standouts all day, posting the highest single wave of the day with a 9.10 in the Semifinal to take down local hopeful Ryan Callinan (AUS). In the Final, the waves slowed, but Vaast was gracious in defeat and set for a strong year on the Challenger Series.
“It’s been hard for me to make heats since the Olympics,” Vaast said. “I have enjoyed my time and now refocused with my team, so to start this year with a second place is amazing. I’ve seen some of my good friends make the CT, and that’s my dream, so I feel like I’m on the way now. I am enjoying this place and loved the good vibes from the crowd, so thank you to everyone.”
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Men’s Final Results:
- Jacob Willcox (AUS) 12.30
- Kauli Vaast (FRA) 11.56
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Women’s Final Results:
- Francisca Veselko (POR) 14.60
- Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 12.20
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 13.16 DEF. Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 8.83
HEAT 2: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 14.60 DEF. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 12.66
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.67 DEF. Teresa Bonvalot (POR) 10.73
HEAT 2: Francisca Veselko (POR) 15.16 DEF. Tya Zebrowski (FRA) 13.06
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Jacob Willcox (AUS) 14.50 DEF. Xavier Huxtable (AUS) 12.73
HEAT 2: Matthew McGillivray (RSA) 14.33 DEF. Winter Vincent (AUS) 6.50
HEAT 3: Ryan Callinan (AUS) 15.50 DEF. Dimitri Poulos (USA) 3.44
HEAT 4: Kauli Vaast (FRA) 14.43 DEF. Peterson Crisanto (BRA) 14.10
Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy Women’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 13.50 DEF. Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 12.17
HEAT 2: Teresa Bonvalot (POR) 13.10 DEF. Amuro Tsuzuki (JPN) 9.26
HEAT 3: Francisca Veselko (POR) 12.17 DEF. Kirra Pinkerton (USA) 6.90
HEAT 4: Tya Zebrowski (FRA) 16.04 DEF. Yolanda Hopkins (POR) 14.34
Next Stop on 2025 Challenger Series
The Ballito Pro Presented by O’Neill opens on June 30 and closes on July 6, 2025. The competition will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Also, check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The Burton Automotive Newcastle SURFEST Presented by Bonsoy is proudly supported by Burton Automotive, Bonsoy, City of Newcastle, Destination New South Wales, Port of Newcastle, GWM, Bioglan, Stone & Wood, Boost Mobile, Bond University, Oakberry, Fatboy Bikes, Vaikobi, The Mutual Bank, Newcastle Airport, The Beach Hotel, Hit 106.9, Newcastle Herald, Red Bull, Apple Watch, and Channel 7.
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