- WSL / Damien Poullenot
- WSL / Damien Poullenot

The QS 3,000 Seat Pro Netanya resumed this afternoon to complete five heats of Round 2 in building surf and light winds. The headliners in this round are a group of young up and comers.

Highlights: New Swell Fills In for Round 2 in Netanya
1:22
The SEAT Pro Netanya continues as a new swell shows in the afternoon of Day 2.

Ryland Rubbens

The 19 year-old Californian took care of the first heat and while the new swell was only starting to show signs, Rubbens did all he could to maximize his scoring potential. Going on his backhand, he managed to put his board somewhat vertically in the sections and was rewarded by a couple of good scores to advance into Round 3.

"I didn't really plan to surf those rights," he admitted. "But it was completely different than what I expected so I just had to adapt and make the most of what I got."

Ryland Rubens (USA) during Heat 1 of Round 2 at the Seat Netanya Pro 2019 Ryland Rubens - WSL / Damien Poullenot

Sam Coffey

Another young American surfer coming out of California took out the following heat with a similar approach - going vertical on his backhand. For Coffey he maximized on the lefts, but the result was the same. Having recently graduated from high school, the naturalfoot from Santa Cruz can now focus on competition and will be one to watch moving forward.

Sam Coffey (USA) during Heat 2 of Round 2 at the Seat Netanya Pro 2019 Sam Coffey - WSL / Damien Poullenot

"The lefts were a little bit bowlier so you can hit it more vertically I felt," said Coffey. "It was a bit slow out there so whatever came my way I went for. I try to surf my own heat and don't really focus on the other guys cause if I see someone get a good one it could stress me out. This is the start of my first year focusing on the QS and so far so good, I came out here with my older brother and some friends from California so it should be fun!"

Kade Matson

Matson is the youngest of the crew at 16 years old, and hailing from the same sunshine state of California. Matson was in control of his heat with two medium scores but found a good left in the final moments to really put his foot down and solidify the first position into Round 3. With a couple of fifth place results last year he knows a thing or two about making heats and Netanya will be his first opportunity in 2019 to try to crack the Finals.

Kade Matson (USA) during Heat 3 of Round 2 at the Seat Netanya Pro 2019 Kade Matson - WSL / Damien Poullenot

"I waited all day for that so I was stoked to get out there," he said. "Waves were super fun I was really surprised, and coming from home where it's been terrible lately I was happy to get some punchy little waves. I was hunting for them and saw that one with a little corner that allowed me to get three turns on it. I'm going to be doing a lot of these events to improve my ranking and hopefully get in the big ones next year."

Justin Becret

The lone European in this selection, Becret took out Heat 4 with the day's performance and a solid 15.06 heat total. At only 17 years old, the Frenchman is perhaps already better known for his big-wave heroics alongside fellow Billabong teammates Benjamin Sanchis and Shane Dorian, but he proved today that he's as much of a threat in three foot rights.

Justin Becret (FRA) during Heat 4 of Round 2 at the Seat Netanya Pro 2019 Justin Becret - WSL / Damien Poullenot

"I got into a good rhythm and found some super fun waves," said Becret. "I love surfing this as much as the big stuff and I definitely had a lot of fun out there. I was surprised with the power that wave has especially after seeing it completely flat this morning. I'm still very much focusing on my last year as a junior but when I have an opportunity like this it's good to get some experience at the QS level as well."

Kim Matheus Marcondes

Brazil's latest export is another hungry young surfer that chases in the footsteps of elder compatriots who were successful here, namely Peterson Crisanto and Miguel Pupo for example. Marcondes took out the day's final heat with a good 7 point ride and a lower backup to advance into Round 3.

lifestyle during Round 2 at the Seat Netanya Pro 2019 Public - WSL / Damien Poullenot

The swell that picked up throughout the day is forecasted to hang around all day tomorrow and event organizers are expecting an early start with a 7:45 a.m call to get through as many heats as possible.

Tune in from January 10-19, 2019 and check out all the photos, videos and updates here.

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