- After winning the Junior Tour, Stock, 19, makes his debut by winning the MEO Surf League.
- The outcome of the stage puts Luís Perloiro back in the lead of the men’s ranking.
- Teresa Bonvalot wins for the second time in a row and shoots to the top of the ranking.
- Maria Salgado and Gony Zubizarreta are the beaten finalists in Ribeira d’Ilhas.
- Tiago Pires wins the Quiksilver Heritage Heat between four former national champions.
This Sunday, Teresa Bonvalot and Tiago Stock won the Allianz Ericeira Pro, the third of five stages of the MEO Surf League 2025.
With the famous right-handers of Ribeira d’Ilhas creating the ideal setting for the stage that marks the Equator of the 1st Division of national surfing, Teresa and Stock’s triumphs had different implications for the rankings and the fight for the national titles.
In the women’s competition, Bonvalot increased his lead over his competitors at the top of the rankings, while in the men’s competition, this stage had the potential to further shake things up, with Luís Perloiro, who was eliminated in round 3, regaining the yellow Go Chill jersey.
The final day in Ribeira d’Ilhas once again had good conditions and the action resumed in the men’s quarterfinals, with the first heat featuring a victory for junior Jaime Veselko over the 2023 national champion, Joaquim Chaves, who was the surfer in the best position to attack the rankings leadership, should he reach the final. In the next heat, Gony Zubizarreta beat Halley Batista, and then it was Tiago Stock’s turn to win a duel between the new generation against Matias Canhoto. The round closed with a solid victory for national champion Guilherme Ribeiro over Afonso Antunes.
In the semifinals, only two surfers were still aiming to jump to the top of the rankings, but both were defeated, which meant that Luís Perloiro automatically won back the yellow Go Chill jersey. Jaime Veselko was defeated by the experience and local knowledge of Gony Zubizarreta, while Tiago Stock managed to defeat Guilherme Ribeiro.
In the final, it was Gony, 40 years old and back in the MEO Surf League after a three-year absence, who started off stronger, but Tiago Stock managed to respond quickly to take the lead in the heat. Coming off a triumph in the second stage of the year in the Junior Tour, Stock, 19 years old, showed great performance throughout the event and used his irreverent and progressive surfing to secure the first victory of his career in the MEO Surf League, with 13.75 points, compared to 9.90 points for the Galician surfer who has lived in our country for many years.
“It’s a great feeling, I think it was a deserved triumph”, said a beaming Tiago Stock. “I worked hard for this, so I’m very happy with the victory. It’s incredible to have my friends and family here, it means a lot to me. It was the first victory I’ve achieved in the MEO Surf League, and I hope more will come”, she stressed.
In the women’s competition, the semifinals showed balanced duels, with Maria Salgado beating Mafalda Lopes and Teresa Bonvalot getting the better of Gabriela Dinis. Something that led to a repeat of the final of the previous stage, in Porto and Matosinhos.
Although the best score in the final heat was Maria Salgado’s, the young surfer from Santa Cruz ended up not being able to find the score she needed for victory until the end, with Teresa Bonvalot controlling the situation and sealing her second consecutive victory in the MEO Surf League 2025, which further isolates her at the top of a ranking, where Maria Salgado rose to second place, already 410 points behind the top. This was also Teresa’s 29th career victory on the national circuit, and she is now just 10 wins away from Patrícia Lopes‘ historic record.
“This result is an excellent way to head to Australia for the start of the WSL Challenger Series circuit,” Teresa began by stating. “It was a tough final, as the waves were harder than they looked. It wasn’t easy to find the best waves. It was a very tight heat, with a lot of fighting until the end. Sometimes I fell to one side, to the other, but fortunately, I achieved my goal, which was to win,” concluded the current national champion.
Before the finals, there was also room for a special heat between four former national champions and legends of Portuguese surfing. The Quiksilver Heritage Heat was won by Tiago Pires, in a heat that also featured Ruben Gonzalez (2nd), José Gregório (3rd) and Paulo Rodrigues (4th). Despite having interfered, Tiago Pires dominated the heat, thanks to a wave of 10 points and another of 9.90 points.
Final results of the Allianz Ericeira Pro:
Men’s final: Tiago Stock, 13.75 points vs. Gony Zubizarreta, 9.90 points
Women’s final: Teresa Bonvalot, 12.35 points vs. Maria Salgado, 12 points
Prio Best Wave: Joaquim Chaves, 9 points
Bom Petisco Girls Score: Gabriela Dinis, 15.15 points
Waversby Round: Guilherme Ribeiro, 16 points
Expression Session: Halley Batista
Ericeira Best Surfers: Gony Zubizarreta and Camila Cardoso
Quiksilver Heritage Heat: Tiago Pires, 14.95 points vs. Ruben Gonzalez, 11.60 points vs. José Gregório, 11.50 points vs. Paulo Rodrigues, 10.95 points
The MEO Surf League returns next month, with the Allianz Ribeira Grande Pro, which takes place from the 13th to the 15th of June in the Azores. Luís Perloiro and Teresa Bonvalot are heading into the fourth and penultimate stage of the MEO Surf League 2025 at the top of the rankings and wearing the yellow Go Chill jerseys, as well as being at the forefront of the Allianz Triple Crown, which will be decided in the Azores.
All stages can be followed live on Sport TV, as well as on other official channels: MEO’s Facebook page, the MEO app – available at position 810 on the MEO channel grid, at www.ansurfistas.com and on social media at @ansurfistas.
The MEO Surf League 2025 is organised by the National Surfers’ Association, sponsored by MEO, Allianz Seguros, Bom Petisco, Go Chill, Corona, Somersby, Prio, sustainability partner Jerónimo Martins, Quiksilver, local support from Mafra City Council and technical support from Ericeira Surf Club and the Portuguese Surfing Federation.
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