Whatshot
SEAT Pro Netanya in Istrael
SEAT Pro Netanya in Istrael
KONTIKI BEACH, Netanya, Israel, this past Saturday, January 20, and Matthew McGillivray (ZAF) has won the SEAT Pro Netanya pres. by Reef today in shifty 1.0 to 1.5 metre surf, defeating Charly Martin (FRA) in the event's final. The last day of competition resumed in solid surf from the storm that hit the Israeli coast the previous day and conditions cleaned up to deliver great conditions for the finals.
The first World Surf League (WSL) Qualifying Series (QS) 3,000 rated event of 2018 unfolded in great conditions over the ten days of the event's waiting period, culminating today with McGillivray's victory.
"This feels amazing," McGillivray exclaimed. "This is my third year on the QS, I've put in a lot of hard work so it feels amazing to finally get a win. Yesterday the waves were huge with the big storm so we were wondering what was going to happen today, but it got better and better and there were some amazing waves in the final."
The 20 year-old from Jeffreys Bay, South Africa, had an incredible run from Round One through to the final, scoring seven heat totals above 14 points, including a near-perfect 18.33 in the semis to eliminate one of the strongest surfers this week, California's Kei Kobayashi.
This victory today marks McGillivray's first on the Qualifying Series and will see him take the number one spot on the QS rankings before the next leg of events, already underway in Australia.
In the final, Martin opened with a little tube ride and a good turn for a 6.5 to turn an early lead on the heat. Ten minutes in, the surfers took off on back-to-back waves, each surfing a similar right breaking wave with a massive first turn and a couple of follow-up maneuvers. McGillivray got the nod with a 7.2 over Martin's 6.9 (both out of 10).