Mafalda Lopes and Maxime Huscenot Win Caraïbos Lacanau Pro

GRANDE PLAGE, Lacanau - Nouvelle-Aquitaine / France (Sunday, August 18, 2024) – Mafalda Lopes (POR) and Maxime Huscenot (FRA) won the World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 1,000 Caraïbos Lacanau Pro in good, two-to-three foot conditions. Tessa Thyssen (FRA) and Leo Paul Etienne (FRA) finished runners-up, after an incredible run at Lacanau. 

Finals Day started with the men's Quarterfinals, before going into the Semifinals and Finals of the women and men, with crowds enjoying a full day of surfing at Grande Plage.

Mafalda Lopes Bests Incredible Field To Win at Lacanau

The depth of the women's field at this year's event was incredible, and the performances definitely echoed that. Mafalda Lopes (POR) and Tessa Thyssen (FRA) both took down some big names to get to the Final.

Lopes got off to a quick start in the Final against Thyssen, locking in two mid-range scoring rides to build her campaign. Thyssen waited for better opportunities and only got started halfway through the heat. Lopes stayed calm and collected, while Thyssen had to play catch up. Lopes never improved her total score, but Thyssen did not have any successful attempts to better her total, and it was a little too late. This is the best result Lopes has had at Lacanau, and it will be a keeper in her 2024/25 season campaign to try and qualify for the Challenger Series.

"I'm really happy to get the win," Lopes said. "It's a good start for the QS season and I'm ready to keep going and I'm more confident now."

"It was a good final, I tried to start quick and catch two waves. I didn't think it was going to be my best waves, but it ended up being the best waves of the heat. Tessa was surfing really good, and Tya (Zebrowski) was throwing nines, so it wasn't an easy contest at all. Women's surfing is super good right now, growing super fast. I'm just happy that I'm keeping up with the girls!"

Maxime Huscenot Finds His Form At Lacanau

The men's Final was an exciting matchup between defending event winner Leo Paul Etienne (FRA) and former Championship Tour surfer Maxime Huscenot (FRA). Etienne and Huscenot have been posting excellent scores across the board all event long and their clash int he Final did not disappoint.

Etienne was the first on the board with a 6.83 (out of a possible 10). He stayed busy, catching a handful of waves but nothing worth keeping. Huscenot played the waiting game and it paid off when he found the best wave of the heat to lock in an excellent 8.00 for his opening ride. Etienne backed up his total with a decent 7.50 to take the lead, but Huscenot wasn't giving up. In the final minute, Huscenot rolled into a left hander to smash two big backhand turns, and he got the score he required to take the win and earn another title in Lacanau.

"I'm super happy right now," Huscenot reacted. "I watched Leo's semis and I knew he could score very well on airs and turns so I was expecting to go with big scores. My strategy for the final was to just find some 8-point rides, but with the tide pushing in really fast it was hard to find the right one. I was trying to be really patient and then I got lucky when I found the wave I was looking for."

"I wasn't sure if I was going to come here or not, but then I decided to come because I love this place and I wanted to make some heats and get the result," Huscenot continued. "Last year I got second so I really wanted to win. The last time I won here I qualified so hopefully this brings me the momentum and I can finish the year very well."

With the Caraïbos Lacanau Pro, stop No.2 on the 2024/25 European QS in the books, here’s an updated regional rankings Top 5:

Men’s European QS Top 5:

1 - Lukas Skinner (GBR)

2 - Maxime Huscenot (FRA)

3 - Patrick Langdon-Dark (WLS)

4 - Adur Amatriain (EUK)

4 - Paco Alonzo (FRA)

Women’s European QS Top 5:

1 - Tya Zebrowski (FRA)

2 - Noah Klapp (DEU)

3 - Annette Gonzalez Etxabarri (EUK)

4 - Mafalda Lopes (POR)

4 - Nahia Milhau (FRA)

Competitors will have a week to reset before the next stop on tour, the ABANCA Pantin Classic Galicia Pro, starting Tuesday, August 27, 2024.

Follow the LIVE scores and get all the updates on worldsurfleague.com.

The Caraïbos Lacanau Pro is scheduled from August 13-18, 2024 at Grande Plage, Lacanau - France. For all results, photos, video highlights and press releases, log on to worldsurfleague.com.