PRAIA DE SUPERTUBOS, Peniche, Portugal (Sunday, March 23, 2025) – Caroline Marks (USA) and Yago Dora (BRA) won the 2025 MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero, Stop No. 3 of the World Surf League (WSL) Championship Tour (CT), in solid four-to-six-foot surf at Supertubos. It was a challenging day as the world’s best surfers had to contend with strong winds and an unforgiving rip in the lineup at Peniche, but Marks and Dora overcame a stacked field to claim victory, laying the groundwork for their 2025 World Title campaigns.
Caroline Marks Seals Second Pro Portugal Title
Caroline Marks (USA) claimed her seventh CT victory, her second in Portugal, in a tight Final against Gabriela Bryan (HAW). The 23-year-old from Florida is one of the most consistent women on Tour, and this is one of her best starts to the season since 2019. After a dream-like year in 2024, winning the Olympic Gold medal and finishing runner-up in the world to Caity Simmers (USA), Marks is riding this wave of momentum into the 2025 season.
Wave selection was key in the shifting lineup of Supertubos, even throwing off Marks, the 2019 event winner, and Bryan, a first-time Portugal finalist who had delivered standout performances throughout the event. The pair locked in two mid-range scores early in the Final before both surfers made mistakes, opting for waves that didn’t offer them open faces to improve their scores.
Marks and Bryan fought a challenging rip that kept them out of position, and a priority mistake in the final few minutes gave Marks the upper hand to play defense and protect her small lead. It was nerve-wracking as the time ran out, but Marks had done enough to secure her second win in Peniche.
“It wasn’t the prettiest Final, but we’ll take it,” Marks said. “It was really challenging, but winning feels so good, I’m so pumped. The last couple of years, it felt like I was building momentum in the second half of the season, so to start off with a win and just be really consistent to be in the Finals Day for every event so far has felt really good. It’s just been such a good environment around here, it feels really special to share this one with my dad. He doesn’t come to many events, so to have him here is really good.”
Marks will carry this momentum into the next stop, the Surf City El Salvador Pro, where she is the back-to-back defending champion. The 2024 Final in El Salvador was the last head-to-head matchup between Marks and Bryan, and also the most recent regular-season CT Final appearance for either surfer.
En route to the Final, Marks dispatched Molly Picklum (AUS) in their Semifinal clash. Picklum hunted for barrels, but she couldn’t find the exit on any of her attempts. Despite sitting with priority for the majority of the heat, the opportunities were few and far between. Marks relied on her backhand for one big maneuver, and it was enough to edge out Picklum who was left wanting.
Adapting to the changing conditions and surfing a completely new bank, it was a tight tussle between Erin Brooks (CAN) and Gabriela Bryan (HAW) for a spot in the Final. It was an evenly matched heat as both surfers showed their power and commitment to the heavy sections. Brooks came close to matching Bryan’s performance, with just 0.20 separating their final heat totals, but was not able to overcome Bryan, who achieved her first Finals appearance in Portugal.
“It wasn’t the best Final, but it was really good to share it with Caroline [Marks],” Bryan said. “She’s just such a good human. Hopefully, we get to share a few more this year. I had an amazing time in Portugal, and we surfed all kinds of conditions so I’m stoked I made it to the Final.”
Yago Dora Earns Second Career CT Win, Bests World No. 1 Italo Ferreira
In his seventh year on Tour, Yago Dora (BRA) is finally coming into his own, and his performances are showing. He shifted into another gear when he earned his first CT win at the VIVO Rio Pro in 2023. Since then, Dora finished runner-up at El Salvador and the Rio in 2024, but the Brazilian has been working hard to earn his next win. Today, he accomplished that feat following a marathon day that saw him dispatch Italo Ferreira (BRA) in the Final, Ethan Ewing (AUS) in the Semifinals, Jack Robinson (AUS) in the Quarterfinals, and Imaikalani deVault (HAW) in the Round of 16.
“Last season, I had two Finals and it felt like I was the in-form surfer of the event, but I ended up falling short in the end,” Dora said. “I wasn’t going to let this one get away, I wanted to win this one so bad.”
In an all-Brazilian Final, current World No. 1 Ferreira and Yago Dora (BRA), two of the most consistent surfers in their aerial attack, were always going to deliver an air show with the conditions on offer at Supertubos. Dora and Ferreira went blow-for-blow, answering each other’s attempts with bigger, more critical replies. Ferreira had the highest single-wave score for a huge frontside air, but Dora added a touch of creativity to his backup ride that put him in front of Ferreira. The 2019 World Champion required a mid-range score to get back into the lead, but despite multiple opportunities, it wasn’t enough.
In a rematch from their Final at the VIVO Rio Pro last year, Dora settled the score to take the win in Peniche.
“It’s always so hard surfing against Italo [Ferreira],” Dora said. “He always seems to do what he needs to find the win, but I’m so glad that I could find a way to win today. I need to thank God, he got me all the way to the Final and to this victory. I could feel something special was going to happen here this week, and it did.”
Dora shot up 11 places on the rankings to World No. 4. The 28-year-old recently brought on a new coach, and this was his first win since the 2023 VIVO Rio Pro.
“Change is always risky, but it feels so good when it all comes together,” Dora continued. “Everyone will talk about it, whether you’re right or wrong, but I’m glad I’m still the same, and I’m still going to do what I love to do.”
In the first Semifinal, Dora dominated the heat with his aerial antics to advance into the Final over last year’s event runner-up, Ethan Ewing (AUS). Ewing went excellent in his Quarterfinal matchup with Filipe Toledo (BRA) with a 9.17 (out of a possible 10) earned on a picture-perfect backhand barrel, but fell short in his matchup with Dora.
Ferreria seemed like the one to beat during the entire event. In the Round of 16, Ferreira boosted a massive full rotation for a 9.17 to advance to the Quarterfinals, where he defeated Rio Waida (INA). His momentum continued in the Semifinals against Lexus Pipe Pro winner Barron Mamiya (HAW).
“It was a long week, and I was really confident, but I made a few mistakes in the Final,” Ferreira admitted. “It’s always a pleasure to compete against Yago [Dora], congratulations to him. I love this place, I have a lot of good memories. We still have a long season ahead, so let’s keep it going on to the next one.”
Italo Ferreira and Caity Simmers Retain Yellow Leader Jerseys
Caity Simmers (USA) will breathe a sigh of relief as she holds on to the Yellow Leader Jersey heading into the next stop in El Salvador. Molly Picklum (AUS) had a chance to overtake her on the rankings if she won in Peniche, but after the Australian failed to advance to the Final, Simmers remains World No. 1.
Ferreira’s excellent start to the season sees the 2019 World Champion increase his significant lead at the top. Meanwhile, Barron Mamiya (HAW) retained his place as World No. 2 after progressing to the Semifinals for only the second time outside of his home of Hawaii. The 25-year-old defeated Marco Mignot (FRA) in the Quarterfinals, Mignot’s highest CT finish yet, which saw the Rookie jump 13 places up the rankings to No. 18.
For highlights from the 2025 MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Final Results:
1 – Caroline Marks (USA) 7.90
2 – Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 6.97
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Final Results:
1 – Yago Dora (BRA) 13.37
2 – Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.43
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Caroline Marks (USA) 8.53 DEF. Molly Picklum (AUS) 7.50
HEAT 2: Gabriela Bryan (HAW) 11.83 DEF. Erin Brooks (CAN) 11.63
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Yago Dora (BRA) 12.83 DEF. Ethan Ewing (AUS) 3.50
HEAT 2: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 11.04 DEF. Barron Mamiya (HAW) 9.93
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Yago Dora (BRA) 15.50 DEF. Jack Robinson (AUS) 8.50
HEAT 2: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.50 DEF. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 8.96
HEAT 3: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 9.87 DEF. Rio Waida (INA) 6.43
HEAT 4: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 10.34 DEF. Marco Mignot (FRA) 9.27
MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero Men’s Round of 16 Results:
HEAT 1: Jack Robinson (AUS) 11.93 DEF. Liam O’Brien (AUS) 6.00
HEAT 2: Yago Dora (BRA) 12.17 DEF. Imaikalani deVault (HAW) 6.33
HEAT 3: Ethan Ewing (AUS) 12.76 DEF. Cole Houshmand (USA) 7.94
HEAT 4: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 9.43 DEF. Jordy Smith (RSA) 8.47
HEAT 5: Italo Ferreira (BRA) 12.84 DEF. Joel Vaughan (AUS) 9.00
HEAT 6: Rio Waida (INA) 9.17 DEF. Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 7.36
HEAT 7: Marco Mignot (FRA) 9.50 DEF. Seth Moniz (HAW) 4.83
HEAT 8: Barron Mamiya (HAW) 12.84 DEF. Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA) 11.23
History Will Be Ridden: Surf City El Salvador Pro Up Next on 2025 CT
The next stop on the 2025 Championship Tour will be the Surf City El Salvador Pro. The Surf City El Salvador Pro will hold a competition window from Wednesday, April 2 through Saturday, April 12, 2025. The event will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL App. Check out more ways to watch from the WSL’s broadcast partners.
The MEO Rip Curl Pro Portugal Presented by Corona Cero is proudly supported by MEO, Rip Curl, Visit Portugal, Corona Cero, Red Bull, YETI, Bonsoy, Surfline, True Surf, I-SEA, Vissla, EDP, Millenum, and Hertz.
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.