Photo: Pierre Tostee//WSL
Teresa Bonvalot and Cole Houshmand won the 2026 Ballito Pro, the first of five events on this year’s Challenger Series. This CS schedule will span the remainder of 2026 and one final event in March of 2027, now that the Championship Tour’s mid-season cut has been wiped from the WSL’s qualification and relegation process.
The win is Bonvalot’s first on the Challenger Series since the Sydney Surf Pro in 2022. The Portuguese surfer went on to two third-place finishes later that same year, positioning her for the WSL’s Championship Tour replacement wildcard in three 2023 events. That was her first CT action since a 2017 wildcard, a ninth-place finish at home in the Cascais Pro.
“I don’t have any words right now,” she said after the win in South Africa. “It means so much, I’m super emotional right now. I don’t think I would’ve believed you if you told me I would win it, I would’ve told you you’re dreaming. To win my first event back after so long, I just tried to stay positive and present everyday. It’s unreal.”
It’s a solid start to a new season for the 26-year old 2024 Olympian who navigated injury concerns earlier this year. In March, she underwent surgery to have urchin spines removed, which impacted her surfing.
The win on the men’s side was Houshmand’s second at the Ballito Pro, which he won in 2023. That was the year Houshmand won back-to-back events and went on to qualify for his rookie season on the CT. This year’s run at the elite tour level has been filled mostly with early exits, so a return to the podium was likely welcome by the goofy-footer.
“It feels amazing, this might be one of my best wins yet after the year I’ve had,” said Houshmand. “I came here to get some rhythm, and I just wanted to get back into that flow. It feels amazing. There’s something special about Ballito, I love this place.”
Next up, the Challenger Series heads to Huntington Beach for the 2026 US Open of Surfing.
