Western Australia’s Jack Robinson delivered a powerful performance in pumping Supertubes conditions at the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, locking in the highest single-wave score of his Round of 16 heat with a near excellent 7.93. However, he was narrowly edged out by Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti after not being able to secure the back-up score he needed to progress through to the quarterfinals.
Currently sitting within striking distance of the WSL Final 5, Robinson will now look to lock in his spot at the final stop of the regular season at the Lexus Tahiti Pro in August before the WSL Finals in Fiji.
Read the full WSL media statement below.
JEFFREYS BAY, Eastern Cape, South Africa (Sunday, July 13, 2025) – The Corona Cero Open J-Bay, Stop No. 10 of the World Surf League (WSL) 2025 Championship Tour (CT), continued today to complete the men’s Round of 16 with three-to-five foot lines rolling through at Supertubes. With a dissipating swell, conditions slowed down throughout the morning, and organizers decided not to run the women’s Quarterfinals today. The competition has been called off for tomorrow, Monday, July 14, and Tuesday, July 15, and the next call will be made on Wednesday, July 16 at 7:45 a.m. GMT+1 for a possible 8:03 a.m. start.
Rookie Marco Mignot (FRA) delivered a devastating blow, taking out Jordy Smith (RSA) in front of his home crowd and stripping him of the Yellow Leader Jersey. Mignot stayed busy to build a solid score, while Smith opted to wait for a bigger set wave, which never arrived. Smith left it too late, needing a near-excellent score in the dying minutes, and Mignot advanced to his second Quarterfinal appearance on the CT.
“If you take on No. 1, and you beat him, it’s a bigger reward,” said Mignot. “I always want to surf against the best and push myself. These moments are special, to share it with Jordy the king of J-Bay, but I’m super happy to take the win. Before coming here, I was watching clips of Jordy, because I think he’s the best out here.”
Drawing each other again but on a different continent, Griffin Colapinto (USA) and Cole Houshmand (USA) got a rematch in Supertubes after facing each other in the Final of the VIVO Rio Pro just over a week ago. Colapinto got to work quickly to build a score, and shut it down with a 7.50 (out of a possible 10) for his powerful turns and drawn-out carves on a big J-Bay wall. Colapinto is on the cusp of the WSL Final 5 cutoff and could enter the World Title conversation with a solid result in South Africa.
“It feels good,” said Colapinto. “This one matters to me because I want to make the Final 5. I think he’s stoked for me after winning Brazil, and he’s like a big brother to me, but I’m in that position now where every heat is important.”
Coming under pressure from João Chianca (BRA) in the first heat of the Round of 16, World No. 2 Yago Dora (BRA) started on the back foot. A quick equipment change saw a shift in momentum as Dora knew he had to get a big score on the board. Relying on his aerial prowess, Dora raced down the line, launching himself into the golden light of the morning and navigating the landing for an excellent 9.00.
“I broke the tip of my fin, and that was my magic board,” said Dora. “I didn’t want to change boards, so I just caught a wave in to change the fin. There was a long lull, so I tried to stay patient and wait for an opportunity. It was a weird wave, so I knew I would have to go big again. The second best feeling in surfing is flying through the air and landing in the flats, it’s so scary, so when you pull it off, it feels so good.”
With Smith knocked out of the event, Dora has moved into the No. 1 position, but Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) can still challenge him for the Yellow Leader Jersey in J-Bay as both advanced to the Quarterfinals.
For highlights and more information from today’s competition at the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com
Corona Cero Open J-Bay Men’s Round of 16 Results:
HEAT 1: Yago Dora (BRA) 14.57 DEF. Joao Chianca (BRA) 13.67
HEAT 2: Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 13.34 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 9.76
HEAT 3: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 13.50 DEF. Crosby Colapinto (USA) 9.33
HEAT 4: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 14.37 DEF. Cole Houshmand (USA) 12.57
HEAT 5: Marco Mignot (FRA) 14.57 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 11.17
HEAT 6: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.97 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 10.60
HEAT 7: Connor O’Leary (JPN) 12.83 DEF. Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.33
HEAT 8: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.00 DEF. Jake Marshall (USA) 10.00
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)
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)
Watch LIVE
The Corona Cero Open J-Bay holds a competition window through Sunday, July 20, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.comand the free WSL app. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
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