Whatshot
Chelsea Tuach and Adin Masencamp Take Titles at VW SA Open
Chelsea Tuach and Adin Masencamp Take Titles at VW SA Open
It was a challenging final for Tuach and Vahine Fierro (FRA), with surfers having to wait a long time before finding waves with decent scoring potential. Tuach scored the best wave of the heat for a 5.50 and backed it up with a 3.93 for a total of 9.43. Fierro searched the line-up for better scores but could only get two waves in the 4-point range. Tuach, who came into the event ranked in the top 30, will leapfrog up the WSL Women's QS leaderboard after posting her best result of the 2019 season.
"It's been a crazy day trying to make heats and also trying to make my flight!" said an elated and out-of-breath Tuach. "It got really hard in the final and I knew I just had to get two waves that would hopefully be the best scores. I knew Vahine wasn't going to be easy to beat, so my heart was in my throat up until the last second. I feel like I'm surfing well and I'm in a good rhythm."
Reigning WSL Africa champion Adin Masencamp (Strand) breathed a sigh of relief when he won the Men's QS 1000 against Australian Sheldon Simkus.
"I'm so stoked to get the win. It's been biting me, every time I come to PE I reach the finals but can't seem to get a win. I think it's just a mindset," said Masencamp. "I've had a good year so far and I feel like I'm picking up momentum now heading into Ballito."
Alongside the world-class surfing action, the City Surf Series events also embrace sustainability and transformation programs such as the Surfing South Africa (SSA) Learn To Surf outreach project in collaboration with Caltex EC, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) and Ocean Pledge.