Kei Kobayashi extended his unbeaten run on Japanese Qualifying Series sand to four straight events with victory at the Hamamatsu Open QS 2000, headlining a four-title weekend that also saw Cocona Kawase, Dhea Novitasari and Taka Inoue crowned at the WSL stop on the central Japan coast.
Kobayashi defeated countryman Reo Inaba in the men's QS final after a draw-long campaign that the home favourite admitted had not gone smoothly. "My condition wasn't at one hundred percent, but switching boards from the Quarterfinals helped me find my rhythm," Kobayashi said after lifting the trophy. The Hamamatsu win is the latest in a streak that has put the Japanese veteran at the top of the regional QS standings and within striking distance of a Challenger Series return.
In the women's QS final, Cocona Kawase edged Kako Yoshida with an 11.57 two-wave total, locking up the title with a clutch seven-point ride in the closing minutes. "Getting scores early allowed me to settle into the heat," Kawase said. "I was nervous on the 7-point ride, but once I saw the wave I knew I had to make it count."
The Longboard Qualifying Series finals delivered the standout result of the weekend. Indonesia's Dhea Novitasari defeated host favourite Hiroka Yoshikawa with a 15.84 two-wave total that included the event's highest single-wave score of 8.67, an extraordinary ride on the small Hamamatsu beachbreak. The win made Novitasari the first Indonesian to qualify for the WSL Longboard Tour.
"This is my second WSL event victory and I'm really happy," Novitasari said. "I was nervous at first, but I managed to control it and enjoy myself."
In the men's LQS, Taka Inoue defended his Hamamatsu title with a win over Dhany Widianto, becoming a back-to-back Hamamatsu Open champion. "Last year the waves were much bigger and suited me more, while this year was completely different with smaller surf," Inoue said. "To win in both conditions feels really good."
The event was the final regional qualifying tilt for several Asian Longboard Tour spots, with Novitasari's win triggering a celebration from the small Indonesian travelling contingent. The Indonesian federation has been pushing harder into longboarding in recent seasons, and her qualification opens a pathway that previous generations of Indonesian surfers had to take through the shorter-board ranks.
Kobayashi's QS title, meanwhile, is the more consequential men's result of the week. The Japanese veteran has been knocking on the Challenger Series door for several seasons, and his unbroken winning streak at home leaves him heavily favoured to make the regional CS contingent for the second half of 2026.
The Hamamatsu Open closed out the Asia regional QS calendar's early-year stretch. The tour now moves to the Indonesia and Australia stops later in the year, with the WSL's qualifying race tightening for the elite ranks that will join the 2027 Championship Tour.
