Wylie, three Japanese surfers reach Round of 96 in Taiwan Open
NXTbets Pro | Published On: November 15, 2026
Jinzun Harbor conditions
The men’s opening rounds at the 2026 Taiwan Open of Surfing got underway on Day 2 at Jinzun Harbor, and the surf set the tone early. Conditions were small and wind-affected, with waves around 2 feet, and that made clean scoring harder to find across the session. The Round of 144 was completed before the water turned, then eight heats of the Round of 128 were run before conditions worsened and the action slowed. That left the day defined by patience as much as progression, with surfers trying to make the most of limited size and changing texture in the lineup. The setting at Jinzun Harbor left little room for error, and the small, wind-affected waves put a premium on positioning, timing and making the most of each wave that came through.
Andino, Teixeira and Lowe
Kolohe Andino handled the day’s early pressure by winning his Round of 144 heat and moving on, and he did it with the event’s highest two-wave total from the opening round. That put him at the top of the early benchmark list in a session where totals were hard to build. Rafael Teixeira then delivered the standout performance of the day, landing the event’s best two-wave combination so far at 13.00. That total gave the day its strongest number and set the pace for everyone else trying to move through the opening rounds. Sammy Lowe also left his mark with the highest single wave of the round, a 6.27 that stood out in the smaller surf. In a session shaped by light, wind-affected surf, each of those marks mattered because there was so little room for waste. The scores also showed how the event was being decided wave by wave rather than by long, sustained sets. Surfers who found the right opportunity and converted it cleanly separated themselves from the pack. That was the difference in a day when the ocean did not offer much help.
Wylie and Japanese advance
The Round of 96 took shape with a strong showing from Japan and Australia. Japanese surfers Rintaro Suneya, Raiha Onou and Roi Kanizawa all advanced, and they were joined by Australia’s Tully Wylie. Their progress gave the event a sharp international look as the field kept thinning. Wylie’s advance added another name to the next stage, while the trio from Japan moved through together and stayed in contention for the later rounds. The next call was set for 6:30 a.m. local time for a possible 7 a.m. start, which kept the event on track for the next phase of competition. The timing pointed to more surfing ahead if conditions allowed, and the field was set to move again if the window opened. For now, the early rounds had already produced clear markers.
