Gabriela Bryan (HAW) and Connor O’Leary (JPN) won the Corona Cero Open J-Bay, Stop No. 10 on the World Surf League (WSL) 2025 Championship Tour (CT) on July 18.
It was all-time Supertubes conditions, with solid four-to-six-foot surf in offshore wind, with the world’s best putting on a high-performance show in front of thousands of surf fans lining the beach.
Molly Picklum (AUS) and Yago Dora (BRA) finished runners-up after producing some of the top performances throughout the week.
The next stop on the 2025 CT will be the Lexus Tahiti Pro, the final regular-season event before the one-day, winner-take-all Lexus WSL Finals in Cloudbreak, Fiji.
Only the Top 5 men and Top 5 women on the world rankings will compete in the event.
Following the finals on July 18 at Jeffreys Bay, there are now four men’s spots and two women’s spots remaining.
The seeding and final positions will all come down to the world-renowned Teahupo’o from 7 August through to 16 August.
Connor O’Leary wins first career CT title and scores 10-point ride at JBay
O’Leary won his first-ever CT title at the 2025 Corona Cero Open J-Bay, a career-best result in his seven years on tour.
O’Leary burst onto the scene in his rookie year in 2017, and his last finals appearance was at the Fiji Pro of that year.
This season, the 31-year-old from Cronulla had a run of ninth-place finishes and two quarterfinal appearances, and has jumped to No. 11 on the rankings after his win, his best result for 2025.
“I don’t have any words,” said O’Leary.
“I’m just so happy with how I performed. [Richard] ‘Dog’ Marsh has been telling me that it’s coming this year, but it’s been hard to believe sometimes. All the stars aligned for this one, so I’m stoked.
“It felt good to have so many people cheering for me, and then to perform for them. I intended to do some of the best backhand surfing you’ve ever seen, and to compete with a fellow goofy in the final, hopefully it inspires other goofy-foot surfers that they can compete against the best in perfect right-hand point breaks.”
O’Leary took the win over Yago Dora (BRA) in an all-goofy-foot battle at Supertubes.
His flawless backhand attack saw him earn the event’s only 10-point ride (out of a possible 10) to knock out three-time JBay winner Filipe Toledo (BRA) in an exhilarating semifinal clash to advance to his first final for 2025.
O’Leary had a massive challenge ahead, with Dora seemingly unstoppable in JBay and in his third final of the season.
Locking into a classic leg burner, O’Leary scored an excellent 8.17 and 7.50 for a total of 15.67 (out of a possible 20) for the win.
Gabriela Bryan earns third CT win in 2025
In her fourth final appearance in 2025, World No. 2 Gabriela Bryan earned her third CT win of the season and the fourth of her career in dramatic fashion, defeating World No. 1 Molly Picklum (AUS) by the narrowest of margins.
After an early exit at the VIVO Rio Pro, Bryan lost the Yellow Leader Jersey to Picklum and flew out to South Africa to reset and get in a few extra reps at Supertubes.
“I don’t think it’s sunk in yet,” said Bryan.
“I came here early, putting in a lot of time here, and it paid off. I’m so stoked. It’s been a dream of mine to win here at JBay. It’s an iconic wave and one of my favourites in the world. The Yellow Jersey comes with a lot of pressure, so I had less pressure in that final. I personally like chasing something that I want to go after. The only time I want to be wearing Yellow is the first event next year.”
Bryan clinched her place in the WSL Final 5 and will compete for the World Title in the Lexus WSL Finals in Fiji.
The 23-year-old dispatched two-time World Champion Tyler Wright (AUS) in the quarterfinals, before taking out the 2023 World Champion Caroline Marks (USA) in the semifinals.
“I can’t even believe it,” said Bryan.
“From last year, where I think I missed out by one heat, and now to do it with one event left in the regular season. I get to go back to Fiji, one of my favourite places in the world, to compete for a World Title, it’s mind-blowing. It’s been a great day. I knew that waking up, that it’s going to be a huge day no matter what. I’m going to do everything I can to make it a great day. There are so many good things to take away, but I just tried to simplify things, because it’s so exhausting out there today, so I just focused on getting two good waves.”
