Day two of the Manokwari Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 2000 and Pro Junior event saw an exciting day of action at Amban Beach, starting off with the Pro Junior men’s Round of 24 in perfect two-to-three-foot glassy conditions and sunny skies before completing the women’s QS Round of 12, men’s QS Round of 16, and the women’s Quarterfinals.

The majority of the women’s Quarterfinals were tightly contested in the wind affected conditions, where wave selection was key in getting the edge in the head-to-head 25-minute heats.

Japan’s Anon Matsuoka (JPN) kept her campaign to maintain her position on the Challenger Series alive by eliminating Indonesia’s Taina Izquierdo (INA) in Quarterfinal 1. Matsuoka chose to keep busy and chase waves rather than sit on priority out the back.

Quarterfinal 2 saw Renon Matsuyama (JPN) narrowly best Dhea Novitasari (INA), who posted the high score of women’s competition earlier in the Round of 12, a 7.00 (out of a possible 10) for a series of powerful backhand hacks on a long righthander. Novitasari failed to find a similar opportunity in her second heat of the day and was eliminated by 0.27.

With defending event winner Kailani Johnson (INA) knocked out by her Indonesian national teammate and fellow goofy-footer Jasmine Studer (INA), the Manokwari Pro is guaranteed a new women’s QS champion for 2025. Both competitors tried their luck on both rights and lefts, but in the tricky conditions it wasn’t easy to pick a wave that would offer more than one or two turns. Studer put herself on the slightly bigger waves on her backhand, throwing enough spray to earn two waves in the 6-point range, winning the heat by a slim margin of exactly 1.00.

“Kai [Johnson] and I are on the same team, but we’re also competitors so I just tried to focus on myself and not worry or be intimidated by who I’m in the heat with, I just focus on myself,” Studer said. “My gameplan was to not wait around too long when I had priority, and I stuck to that plan, and I got my best waves under Kai’s priority, which I was really happy with. I was being a bit conservative also, just trying to go bigger each time. The conditions were a bit tricky, but in the end I got away with winning the heat, so I’m happy about that.”

The Women’s QS Semifinals will see the two Japanese competitors Matsuoka and Matsuyama in Semifinal 1, and Indonesia’s Studer and Kya Heuer (INA) in Semifinal 2, setting up for a guaranteed Japan-Indonesia Final.

The day’s results also saw all four men’s QS Quarterfinals set, with six Indonesians and two Japanese battling for Semifinals spots. Quarterfinal 2 is expected to be a highlight, with talented Balinese goofy-footers I Made Ariyana (INA) and I Nyoman Artana (INA) set to bring their best. Defending champion Ariyana won’t give an inch to his national teammate Artana, who posted the highest single-wave score of the day, a near-perfect 9.17, along with the highest heat total of 15.40 (out of a possible 20), for his powerful forehand attack on a left.

“To be honest, I was surprised that I got a 9 for that wave,” Artana said. “I knew I’d get a good score, like probably an 8, so it was a good surprise! It lined up nice, so I could really hit it, and it felt really good. Yesterday I got a good score going right, so this time I started the heat going right also, as my coach advised that because it was high tide, it was probably the best scoring opportunity. But later I thought I saw some good ones going left, so I tried it and well, it worked out pretty good.”

The 2025 Manokwari Pro QS 2000 and Pro Junior will run at Amban Beach in West Papua, Indonesia, from November 26 – 30.