For the first time, the Saquarema CT event took place during soccer World Cup week. While Brazil is chasing another football world title in North America this summer, Yago Dora turned Saquarema into a Maracanã-like celebration, giving the home crowd another unforgettable moment as surfing continues to establish itself as one of Brazil’s fastest-growing sports.

It was a tough week at the office for Brazil’s world champions leading up to the conclusion of the Saquarema CT event. One by one, several of the country’s biggest stars were eliminated before Finals Day. But in the end, a hometown hero stepped up and gave the local crowd exactly what they came for. Former event winner Yago Dora claimed victory once again, defeating the new rankings leader, Leonardo Fioravanti, in difficult conditions at Itaúna Beach.

It was a disappointing event for most of Brazil’s biggest names. Gabriel Medina struggled once again in front of his home fans, Filipe Toledo was eliminated in his opening heat, and Italo Ferreira never found his rhythm, finishing in a disappointing ninth place.

Finals Day began with local favorite João Chianca falling to the Italian after an impressive run that included victories over Griffin Colapinto, George Pittar, and Morgan Cibilic. Despite growing up surfing Itaúna, Chumbinho is still searching for his first CT victory on his home beach.

Conditions were challenging throughout Finals Day. The lineup was disorganized, making wave selection difficult, but Yago adapted perfectly, relying on the progressive aerial surfing that has become his trademark. His ability to capitalize on the few opportunities available ultimately secured the title and his second Saquarema victory.

Saquarema has always been an event where competitors must deal with inconsistent peaks, and this year was no exception. Although the forecast looked promising, the surfers were still greeted by messy conditions.

The women’s final reflected the difficult surf. Sawyer Lindblad captured the first Championship Tour victory of her career with a total of just 7.67 points, defeating Tya Zebrowski in a low-scoring final where both surfers struggled to find quality waves. It was also a big moment for Tya who proved the hype around her is warranted by making her first CT final. Sawyer now moves up to third in the rankings as the tour heads into its mid-season break before returning on August 8 at Teahupo’o.

Wave quality may not have lived up to the occasion, and heavy rain dominated Finals Day, but the Brazilian fans once again created one of the best atmospheres on tour. Yago’s victory also restored Brazil’s winning tradition in Saquarema after Cole Houshmand ended the country’s streak of Brazilian wins at the event last season. Yago now owns two Saquarema titles, Filipe Toledo has three, and Italo Ferreira has also celebrated victory in front of the passionate home crowd.

That raises an interesting question: is Saquarema really the best location to host the world’s best surfers?

There’s no doubt the fans would pack the beach regardless of where the Brazilian stop is held. Brazil has no shortage of world-class waves, many of which arguably offer better and more consistent conditions for elite competition. While Saquarema unquestionably delivers one of the most electric crowds on tour, it’s fair to ask whether the quality of the waves consistently matches the level of the athletes competing. Politics comes first, and the Saquarema city government has renewed its partnership with the WSL, ensuring the event will remain on the Championship Tour calendar through at least 2028.

Completely unrelated, Hossegor could soon be back on Tour after falling off the schedule for reasons that had little to do with the quality of its waves or the surfing itself. With the 2027 Championship Tour calendar yet to be announced, rumors of France regaining its event are growing stronger.

Now back to the surfers talk. Back-to-back finals and the Yellow Jersey feel fully deserved for the surfer from Rome. Fioravanti is surfing like a true gladiator and came within one heat of winning consecutive Championship Tour events. Although he fell short against Yago Dora in Saquarema, Fioravanti will head into the mid-season break wearing the Yellow Jersey for the first time in his career.

The timing couldn’t be better. A proven barrel specialist, Fioravanti was part of one of the most memorable Pipeline finals in recent years when he narrowly lost to Barron Mamiya in Hawaii last season. In one of the closest finals ever seen at Pipeline, both surfers finished with an identical two-wave total of 17.97, with Mamiya claiming victory on a higher single-wave score.

With Teahupo’o and Cloudbreak the next stops on Tour, the Italian has every reason to believe he can extend his lead. The question is whether the momentum from back-to-back finals will survive the mid-season break or whether the pause will cool off the hottest surfer on Tour.

For now, Fioravanti sits atop the rankings with five Brazilians right on his heels, setting the stage for a fascinating second half of the season.