Hennessy Wins Ericeira as Kerr Clinches Tour Spot

Brisa Hennessy saved her best wave for the final minutes at Ribeira d’Ilhas on Monday, scoring a 7.50 to win the EDP Ericeira Pro and move into the Challenger Series qualification places with one event left in the season. The Costa Rican sat fourth for much of the four-surfer final before the late ride lifted her total to 13.17, built on the 7.50 and a 5.67. Australia’s Lucy Darragh finished second with 10.30, Sierra Kerr took third with 9.07 and France’s Vahine Fierro placed fourth with 8.83. The finals ran under sunshine, with a northwest swell producing sets of more than a metre.

Poor, inconsistent surf early in the waiting period pushed organizers to run four-surfer heats through the rest of the event, and Hennessy handled the change cleanly. She won her quarterfinal with 12.43 over Brazil’s Laura Raupp, Bella Kenworthy and Spain’s Ariane Ochoa, then took the first semifinal with 12.66 ahead of Kerr (11.16), Raupp (10.50) and Eden Walla (9.77).