Today, I Made Ariyana (INA) and Anon Matsuoka (JPN) won the Manokwari Pro World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 2000. Indonesia’s Dylan Wilcoxen (INA) and Jasmine Studer (INA) placed runners-up in the QS 2000, while Matsuoka also claimed victory in the Pro Junior event, along with Ikko Watanabe (JPN), seeing both surfers earn the titles of Asia Junior Champion for 2025. Glassy, two-to-three-foot conditions at the perfect peak of Amban Beach favored the right as all four Finals were completed.

The men’s QS Final was always going to be an aerial showdown, with I Made Ariyana (INA), the defending winner, taking on fellow Indonesian Dylan Wilcoxen (INA). It all appeared to be going Wilcoxen’s way after the 16-year-old landed an air reverse for an excellent 8.50 (out of a possible 10) on his first wave. However, Ariyana answered back by blasting three big backhand turns for a 7.67 before lofting a near perfect backhand full-rotation with a landing in the flats that earned a near-perfect 9.83 and a commanding lead. Both competitors spent the remaining 15-minutes going to the air on virtually every wave but with low completion rates. By the 8-minute mark, Wilcoxen still needed a 9.01, and with no further set waves arriving, Ariyana claimed victory.

“I was so lucky to land that air, so lucky my legs are strong as it was such a flat landing,” Ariyana said. “So happy to make that, and to win this event again. It is one of my favorite places, and such a fun wave to surf and compete in. Competing against Dylan [Wilcoxen] is always fun, as we push each other to do our best. When we padded out I told him, whoever can do a full-rotation will get a 10, so who is it going to be? After he got that 8.50, I just hoped I had the chance to try something big, as it’s on my backside and he’s frontside. This is definitely one of my favorite events, and I’ll always keep coming back here for sure.”

It was the second QS victory for Ariyana, whose first came at Manokwari in 2024. The win saw him move into the top-10 on the Asia region QS rankings, now sitting at No. 9 and within striking distance of the Challenger Series qualification line. Meanwhile, Wilcoxen’s runner-up finish moved him up one place, into No. 2.

“It was super fun out there, stoked to come in second, it’s all a great learning experience and I’m still young so have lots of time to keep progressing,” Wilcoxen said. “Big congrats to Pajar [I Made Ariyana]. When I heard he got that score, I thought, ‘No way, why did I let him have that wave?’ And then I was waiting and waiting that last, almost 10 minutes, as I needed a 9, but nothing came. But it’s all good, I’m satisfied with second spot as he really deserved the win”

Anon Matsuoka (JPN) took the double win today at the Manokwari Pro. Matsuoka’s victories in both the QS 2000 and the Pro Junior saw the 20-year-old top the leaderboard in both the Asia QS and the Junior Tour rankings. As the last event of the season for the region’s Junior Tour, Matsuoka’s victory also delivered her the title of Asia Junior Champion for the second time and guaranteed her a berth in the WSL World Junior Championships, to be held in the Philippines in January, where she will have the opportunity to add a WSL World Junior Title alongside her 2023 ISA U/18 World Junior gold medal.

In the QS 2000 Final, Matsuoka took the lead early and never looked back, scouring the lineup and leaving no opportunity unanswered, putting her board vertical then smashing out powerful turns to rack up the biggest points, starting with a 6.00 and then later eclipsing that score with a 6.83 and finally an excellent 8.17, where she threw every bit of power she had into each turn to seal the win and leave her competitor, Jasmine Studer (INA), in combination.

“I’m super happy and super excited to win here today, as this event was very important to me,” Matsuoka said. “It was my goal to come here so I could win a spot in the World Junior Championships, so to also win the Pro Junior made this such a great event for me. I want to thank all my family and sponsors for their support, and to all the local people here for their hospitality. It’s my first time here, and this is such a beautiful place with great waves and great people. I’ve had such a great time here, thanks everyone.”

Appearing in her first-ever QS Final, Studer was happy with her result, which saw the 16-year-old move to No. 13 on the Asia region QS rankings.

“This is my best result in a QS, as until now my best was an equal third, so I’m happy to do one better. Anon [Matsuoka] is such a powerhouse, so I was lucky to be in a Final with her. It was a bit slow out there. I sat with priority for like 12-minutes with no set waves coming in, as I knew I needed the biggest and best waves if I was to get a big score. So I only got a couple of fours, but that’s all I could really do. It was fun and I had a great time here, so coming home with a second place trophy is really all good with me.”

Matsuoka also dominated the women’s Pro Junior Final, wasting no time in getting the first wave in the opening minute to earn a 5.50 from the judges for three critical turns on her backhand, launching her into a lead that she never relinquished. Matsuoka added a 6.10 to leave her nearest rival Georgie-May Hicks (GBR) needing the highest wave score of the Final to take the lead. Matsuoka’s precise and powerful backhand performance earned her a decisive victory over Hicks, Renon Matsuyama (JPN), and Aura Zeflin (INA).

The men’s Pro Junior Final saw Indonesia’s top Juniors, Dylan Wilcoxen (INA) and Westen Hirst (INA) facing Japan’s Ikko Watanabe (JPN) and Yuma Nagasawa (JPN). All four surfers put it all on the line in an impressive aerial battle to chase the win and the coveted spots for the WSL World Junior Championships.

Wilcoxen was the first to land a score from an air, earning a 6.00, but a focused Watanabe soon eclipsed that number with an excellent 8.83 on his first wave that featured an air reverse followed by several gouging turns. The 19-year-old went on to add another 7.83 to his scoreline for two aerials on the same wave, closing out the Final with an excellent heat total of 16.66 (out of a possible 20). Chasing him was Nagasawa, whose best wave was a 7.33 for a big first turn, a tail high reverse, and a series of turns all the way to the inside, adding to a backhand air reverse from earlier in the heat which had earned him a 6.43. Hirst’s high score was a 6.83 for multiple backhand turns, but he was unable to find another major scoring opportunity. Wilcoxen’s usually reliable air game was off, leaving him in combination by the end of the Final. Watanabe claimed the win and a spot in the WSL World Junior Championships.

“I’m so happy to come here to Manokwari, and to win this Pro Junior,” Watanabe said. “I was serious about winning, as that’s always the goal, but out there I tried to forget about everyone else and just make it about me and the wave. I’ve been competing with all those guys before, so I know they are all so good. So for me it was just about choosing the best waves and doing my best surfing. So happy to win this and have a spot in the World Juniors in the Philippines in January!”

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