Kainalo, Hately won São Sebastião Pro, shook up Challenger Series rankings
NXTbets Pro | Published On: October 4, 2026
Kainalo won São Sebastião
Ryan Kainalo won the Banco do Brasil São Sebastião Pro and moved to No. 1 in the Challenger Series rankings, a result that gave him a major lift in the season’s closing stretch. The Banco do Brasil São Sebastião Pro was the third-to-last Challenger Series event of the season, and it was the first one in which all surfers who missed the CT postseason cut were in the field. He beat Peru’s Lucca Messinas and CT surfer Oscar Berry before defeating Australia’s Alister Reginato in the final. The win followed his earlier victory at the International 6,000 in Europe, which helped move him into the top spot in the rankings.
Hately won São Sebastião
Charli Hately delivered the other breakthrough result at São Sebastião. She won the event, jumped 36 places in the rankings and moved onto the CT qualification line. She defeated Eweleiula Wong and CT surfer Anat Lelior before beating Francisca Veselko in the final. The result gave her a sharp rise at a key point in the Challenger Series season.
Rankings shifted again
The São Sebastião results left the Challenger Series standings with new pressure at the top and on the qualification line. Kainalo led the rankings after his win, while Hately moved onto the CT qualification line. Those were the kind of swings that mattered late in the year. The next Challenger Series event was set for Ericeira, Portugal, in two days, and both winners carried forward momentum from results that reshaped the rankings in a hurry.
