Live Surfing Returns for Opening Day of Rip Curl Newcastle Cup Pres. by Corona

• Men’s and Women’s Seeding Round 1 Called ON for the Day
• Men’s Seeding Round 1 Starts at 7:35 AM AEDT
• WSL CT Fantasy Still Open for Registration and Team Selections
• Watch LIVE at WorldSurfLeague.com

The second stop of the World Surf League (WSL) 2021 Championship Tour (CT), the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup presented by Corona, opens today with the men’s and women’s Seeding Rounds called ON for the day. Men’s Seeding Round 1 will start at 7:35 a.m. AEDT and women’s Seeding Round 1 will follow the men’s heats. The event marks the first event in Australia since 2019 and the first of four consecutive events in Australia. 

Up first will be Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) facing Conner Coffin (USA) and Deivid Silva (BRA) in the opening heat of men’s Seeding Round 1. 

Welcome to Country by Wandiyali Group 
Prior to the competition getting underway at Merewether, surfers and fans were treated to a moving Welcome to Country and Smoking Ceremony led by Uncle Kevin McKenny of Wandiyali Group with Jackie Allen performing the National Anthem in Awabakal language, and Perry playing the didgeridoo. The words and Smoking Ceremony acknowledged that the competition is taking place on the land of the Awabakal People.  

Select Your Newcastle Picks Now for WSL CT Fantasy
WSL CT Fantasy is still open for the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona. Fans can create their leagues and set their teams ahead of the first event of the Australian leg. WSL CT Fantasy is fully reimagined for the 2021 season. Register now and check out all the new features:

• Power Surfers let you catch up quickly and give you 2x the points for one male and one female surfer on your team.
• Combined teams create higher scores than ever before.
• Progressive scoring means events are worth more as the season goes on.
• Editing teams mid-event ensures you never have a surfer knocked out early.

Players can register now at fantasy.worldsurfleague.com and on the WSL app.

Watch LIVE
All the action from the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona will be broadcast LIVE on WorldSurfLeague.com and the free WSL app. Also, check local listings for coverage from the WSL’s broadcast partners. 

Free Ticket Reservations for Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona
Due to COVID-19 regulations limiting crowd size, the WSL is requiring fans to reserve FREE tickets to the Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona. Although the WSL’s Tiketek ballot is closed and tickets have been allocated, each competition day at 11:00 a.m. AEDT, unclaimed ticket reservations will become available for free on the Ticketek website. Fans can check in each day at 11:00 a.m. AEDT for free ticket reservations. Please read the WSL’s event guide for more information and FAQs on ticket reservations. Tickets will be issued throughout the event. Reserve your FREE tickets at wsl.tv/NewcastleTickets. 

The Road to the Rip Curl WSL Finals Begins 
Following the CT kickoff in Hawaii, Newcastle continues the road to the Rip Curl WSL Finals. The Rip Curl WSL Finals is the new one-day, playoff-style competition that will determine the World Champions in September. The Rip Curl WSL Finals will see the top five male and top five female surfers who accumulated the most points during CT compete for the 2021 World Titles in a single day of intense, world-class surfing at Lower Trestles in Southern California. 

COVID-19 Updates
Due to COVID-19 regulations limiting crowd size, WSL is requiring fans to reserve FREE tickets. To learn more, please read the WSL’s event guide for information on free ticket reservations and FAQs. Reserve your FREE tickets at wsl.tv/NewcastleTickets. 

The WSL will implement a robust and thorough COVID-19 health and safety plan for each event during the Australian leg of the CT in accordance with federal and state guidance. The WSL’s health and safety plan includes physical distancing measures, temperature checks, enhanced high-touch cleaning at the event site, contact tracing procedures, sanitizer stations throughout the event site, and minimal personnel on-site. 

All traveling athletes and support staff completed the mandatory 14-day hotel quarantine and received medical clearance from public health officials before entering the general community.

Due to COVID-19, the Australian CT events will run based on state border closures, strictly adhering to federal and state government guidelines and restrictions. All tour stops and dates subject to change due to applicable COVID-19 related restrictions, including global travel restrictions.

The Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona is proudly supported by our partners Rip Curl, Corona, the NSW Government’s tourism and major events agency Destination NSW, The City of Newcastle, Red Bull, Oakley, Hydro Flask, Harvey Norman, Bonsoy, Boost Mobile, Dometic Outdoor, Bond University, BF Goodrich, Burton Automotive, and Oakberry. 

Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona Women’s Seeding Round 1 Matchups: 
Heat 1: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS), Nikki Van Dijk (AUS), Macy Callaghan (AUS)
Heat 2: Lakey Peterson (USA), Tyler Wright (AUS), Keely Andrew (AUS)
Heat 3: Carissa Moore (HAW), Sage Erickson (USA), Philippa Anderson (AUS)
Heat 4: Stephanie Gilmore (AUS), Johanne Defay (FRA), Bronte Macaulay (AUS)
Heat 5: Caroline Marks (USA), Courtney Conlogue (USA), Brisa Hennessy (CRI)
Heat 6: Tatiana Weston-Webb (BRA), Malia Manuel (HAW), Isabella Nichols (AUS)

Rip Curl Newcastle Cup pres. by Corona Men’s Seeding Round 1 Matchups: 
Heat 1: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN), Conner Coffin (USA), Deivid Silva (BRA)
Heat 2: Filipe Toledo (BRA), Jadson Andre (BRA), Morgan Cibilic (AUS)
Heat 3: John John Florence (HAW), Yago Dora (BRA), Mikey Wright (AUS)
Heat 4: Jordy Smith (ZAF), Frederico Morais (PRT), Matt Banting (AUS)
Heat 5: Gabriel Medina (BRA), Matthew McGillivray (ZAF), Crosby Colapinto (USA)
Heat 6: Italo Ferreira (BRA), Jack Robinson (AUS), Jackson Baker (AUS)
Heat 7: Jeremy Flores (FRA), Adrian Buchan (AUS), Connor O’Leary (AUS)
Heat 8: Owen Wright (AUS), Peterson Crisanto (BRA), Alex Ribeiro (BRA)
Heat 9: Julian Wilson (AUS), Wade Carmichael (AUS), Ethan Ewing (AUS)
Heat 10: Ryan Callinan (AUS), Griffin Colapinto (USA), Leonardo Fioravanti (ITA)
Heat 11: Jack Freestone (AUS), Michel Bourez (FRA), Miguel Pupo (BRA)
Heat 12: Caio Ibelli (BRA), Seth Moniz (HAW), Adriano de Souza (BRA)

For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.

About the WSL 
Established in 1976, the World Surf League (WSL) is the home of the world’s best surfing. 
 
A global sports, media and entertainment company, the WSL oversees international tours and competitions, a studios division creating over 500+ hours of live and on-demand content, and via affiliate WaveCo, the home of the world’s largest high performance, human-made wave. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, the WSL has regional offices in North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and EMEA.
 
The WSL annually crowns the men’s and women’s surfing World Champions. The global Tours and Competition division oversees and operates more than 180 global contests each year across the Championship Tour, the development tiers, including the Challenger, Qualifying and Junior Series, as well as longboard and big wave properties.  
 
Launched in 2019, WSL Studios is an independent producer of unscripted television projects, including documentaries and series, which provide unprecedented access to athletes, events, and locations around the world. WSL events and content are distributed on linear television in over 743M+ homes worldwide and across digital and social media platforms around the world, including WorldSurfLeague.com. 
 
WaveCo includes the Surf Ranch Lemoore facility and the utilizing and licensing of the Kelly Slater Wave System.
 
The WSL is dedicated to changing the world through the inspirational power of surfing by creating authentic events, experiences, and storytelling to inspire a growing, global community to live with purpose, originality, and stoke.  
 
For more information, please visit WorldSurfLeague.com.