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Women's Top Seeds Hit the Water on Day 2 of The Bonsoy Chiba Ichinomiya Open QS 3000
WSL
Competition has rolled on today at the 2023 Bonsoy Chiba Ichinomiya Open World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 3000 event with the completion of the men's Round of 64 and the Opening Round of the women's competition. Tough conditions continued at Shida Point with more small wind-affected surf in the one-foot range.
Day 2 of competition brought with it the women's top seeds in the Round of 32. The first heat of the round saw current WSL Asia regional rankings leader Anon Matsuoka (JPN) take a solid heat win with the highest two-wave combination of the round. Fresh off a runner-up finish at the Krui Pro QS 5000 in Indonesia, Matsuoka is looking for another big result on home turf to solidify a spot on the 2024 WSL Challenger Series (CS).
"I was hoping to put on a bit of a better performance," Matsuoka said. "It's always hard when the surf is this small. The level of surfing on the women's tour is so high right now so it will be really hard to win this event. I'll do my best and that will at least help my competitive approach grow."
15-year-old prodigy Sky Brown (GBR) has come to compete in her mother's homeland of Japan having only competed here as a skateboarder in Tokyo Olympic Games. Brown got her campaign off to a good start, progressing into the Round of 16 at Shida Point with a heat win.
"That was tough out there so I'm happy to get through to the next round," Brown said. "It's good to be back in Japan - the country where I was born. The people here are beautiful, I really love it here. I really hope to keep making heats here."
Local competitor Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) caught his first wave here at Shida Point and his local knowledge paid off today. The Japanese Championship Tour hopeful landed multiple air-reverses to post an 11.25 two-wave total (out of a possible 20) and take the heat win in the opening heat of the day.
"I decided before the heat started that I would only attempt an air reverse if the right wave came," Ohara said. "I had a really good board for small waves so was confident I'd get an air or two."
Competition is likely to resume tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. local time.
The Bonsoy Chiba Ichinomiya Open will run from July 21 - 24 and be followed by the Ginza 78 Clinic Chiba Ichinomiya Open Pro Junior which will run from July 25 - 28.
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