South Africa will carry three women into the semifinals of the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro after Sarah Baum, defending champion Natasha van Greunen and 2025 runner-up Zoë Steyn all came through a full day of the women’s Qualifying Series 2,000 at Victoria Bay in George, Western Cape, on Saturday, 20 June 2026.
Baum and Van Greunen will meet in an all-South African first semifinal, while Steyn faces the lone overseas survivor, France’s Sarah Leiceaga, in the second.
The quarterfinals produced the turnaround of the day, with Day 1 pacesetter Hina-Maria Conradi of Reunion knocked out by Leiceaga, who posted a 13.87 to the Reunion surfer’s 10.80.
Baum booked her place with a commanding 13.67 to beat Morocco’s Lilias Tebbai in the first quarterfinal, Van Greunen edged Morocco’s Ninon Mattei 11.40 to 10.23 in the second, and Steyn accounted for Anastasia Venter in an all-South African quarterfinal in the fourth.
The quarterfinal line-up had been settled earlier in the Round of 16, where Conradi top-scored the round with a 15.16.
That round ended the campaigns of several South Africans, among them Emily Jenkinson, Taylor Emslie, Gabriella Herbst, Jessie van Niekerk and both Lepront sisters, Louise Lepront and Leah Lepront.
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In the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Junior, both Lepront sisters reached the semifinals, with Louise Lepront topping her quarterfinal on a 13.50 and Leah Lepront coming through hers.
Anastasia Venter produced the standout junior score of the day, a 14.40, and is joined in the last eight by Emily Jenkinson, Taylor Emslie, Camilla Heuer, Lila Aszalos and Maya Malherbe.
The junior semifinals are set for Sunday, 21 June 2026, with the first call at 07h45, and the women’s semifinals and final are the remaining rounds in the senior draw, also to be surfed on the closing day.
The Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Women’s Round of 16 Results (Top two advance)
Heat 1
Sarah Baum 13.27, advanced
Ninon Mattei 8.70, advanced
Max Kauffman 7.23, eliminated
Taylor Emslie 7.07, eliminated
Heat 2
Natasha van Greunen 10.00, advanced
Lilias Tebbai 9.33, advanced
Emily Jenkinson 9.30, eliminated
Gabriella Herbst 8.16, eliminated
Heat 3
Hina-Maria Conradi 15.16, advanced
Anastasia Venter 13.23, advanced
Jessie van Niekerk 11.67, eliminated
Leah Lepront 6.00, eliminated
Heat 4
Zoë Steyn 12.00, advanced
Sarah Leiceaga 10.80, advanced
Louise Lepront 8.07, eliminated
Jasmine Venter 4.40, eliminated
Women’s QS 2,000 Quarterfinal Results (Heat Winner advances)
Heat 1
Sarah Baum 13.67, advanced
Lilias Tebbai 5.50, eliminated (interference penalty)
Heat 2
Natasha van Greunen 11.40, advanced
Ninon Mattei 10.23, eliminated
Heat 3
Sarah Leiceaga 13.87, advanced
Hina-Maria Conradi 10.80, eliminated
Heat 4
Zoë Steyn 10.50, advanced
Anastasia Venter 6.67, eliminated
Women’s QS 2,000 Semifinals, at Victoria Bay in George, on Sunday, 21 June 2026
Heat 1: Sarah Baum, Natasha van Greunen
Heat 2: Sarah Leiceaga, Zoë Steyn
Pro Junior Women’s WSL Junior 1,000 Quarterfinal Results (Top two advance)
Heat 1
Louise Lepront 13.50, advanced
Taylor Emslie 9.33, advanced
Gabriella Herbst 5.27, eliminated
Heat 2
Leah Lepront 9.40, advanced
Camilla Heuer 7.93, advanced
Jasmine Venter 6.90, eliminated
Nina Bone 5.40, eliminated
Heat 3
Anastasia Venter 14.40, advanced
Lila Aszalos 8.23, advanced
Sophia Jackson 7.57, eliminated
Heat 4
Emily Jenkinson 10.24, advanced
Maya Malherbe 9.33, advanced
Max Kauffman 6.50, eliminated
The Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro Junior Women’s Semifinals, at Victoria Bay in George, resuming Sunday, 21 June 2026, first call 07h45 SAST
Heat 1: Louise Lepront, Taylor Emslie, Leah Lepront, Camilla Heuer
Heat 2: Anastasia Venter, Lila Aszalos, Emily Jenkinson, Maya Malherbe
Main Photo Caption: Defending champion Natasha van Greunen surged into the semifinals as the women’s Qualifying Series 2,000 reached the last four at the Rip Curl Vic Bay Surf Pro at Victoria Bay in George, Western Cape, on Saturday, 20 June 2026. All Photos: Kody McGregor / WSL Africa
Photo 2 Caption: Sarah Baum came through her quarterfinal with a commanding win over Morocco’s Lilias Tebbai, who was penalised for interference.
Photo 3 Caption: Runner-up in 2025, Zoë Steyn advanced to the semifinals, where she meets France’s Sarah Leiceaga, the lone overseas surfer remaining.
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