Challenger Series Stakes Rise as Erin Brooks Exits in Portugal, Bella Kenworthy Marches On

The race for the Championship Tour used to come down to what happened in Hawaii in December, but with the current Challenger Series schedule, this year it comes down to Portugal and Brazil over the course of the next month. It's still early days at the EDP Ericeira Pro , but for those with designs on making the jump to the 2025 Championship Tour, every single heat matters.

Case in point, the women's Round of 32. Normally forgettable affair in the qualification process, we just saw number four seed and recent Fiji Pro winner Erin Brooks get eliminated from the event, while the top two seeds, Sally Fitzgibbons and Bella Kenworthy , advanced on in the comp. With only the top five women on the Challenger Series joining the Championship Tour, the heat wins certainly help the cause for Fitzgibbons and Kenworthy, while Brooks' early exit will put a lot of pressure to come up with something big at the Corona Saquarema Pro ... which doesn't seem like too tall of an order considering she's the event's defending champ.

With the Basque Country's Nadia Erostarbe, who's in fifth on the Challenger Series leaderboard, advancing into the Round of 16, Brooks will slide down the leaderboard, but how far remains to be seen. When we're talking about stakes, in the Round of 16, Kenworthy will go up against Tahiti Pro winner Vahine Fierro, who's currently sixth on the Challenger Series and just outside CT qualification.

Number three seed Isabella Nichols is still awaiting her Round of 32 heat. Fitzgibbons is set to go up against fellow Aussie Bronte Macaulay, who's less than 5,000 points away from the current cut line.

American Alyssa Spencer is in a similar boat. Ranked eighth on the Challenger Series, she's also into the Round of 16 and looking for a result. Fellow Californian Kirra Pinkerton is still in the draw as well. Ranked 14th, she needs a monster result to change her fortunes.

Related: All You Need To Know About The EDP Ericeira Pro