The door is open for San Clemente’s Griffin Colapinto to take the win at the Vans US Open of Surfing.
Two-time US Open champion Kanoa Igarashi, who Colapinto lost to in the final last year, was eliminated from the surf contest early Friday, leaving Colapinto as the last California surfer remaining in the event.
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Griffin Colapinto of San Clemente and Luel Felipe of Brazil surf during the men’s heat of round five in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Colapinto advances to the quarterfinals on Sunday. in Huntington Beach, CA on Friday, August 2, 2019. (Photo by Mark RightmireOrange County Register/SCNG)
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Yago Dora of Brazil surfs during the men’s heat in round five of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Dora advances in the competition. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Griffin Colapinto of San Clemente surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Griffin Colapinto of San Clemente and Luel Felipe of Brazil surf during the men’s heat of round five in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Colapinto advances to the quarterfinals on Sunday. in Huntington Beach, CA on Friday, August 2, 2019. (Photo by Mark RightmireOrange County Register/SCNG)
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Kanoa Igarashi of Huntington Beach surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Igarashi did not advance. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Barron Mamiya of Hawaii surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Surfing fans watch the men’s heats in the U.S. Open of Surfing from the Huntington Beach pier on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Evan Geiselman of Florida surfs during the men’s heat in round five of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Geiselman did not advance. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Yago Dora of Brazil surfs during a men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Jorgann Couzinet of France surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark RightmireOrange County Register/SCNG)
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Kanoa Igarashi of Huntington Beach poses for a photo with surfing fans following his heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Igarashi did not advance in the competition. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Caio Ibelli of Brazil surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Evan Geiselman of Florida surfs during the men’s heat in round five of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Geiselman did not advance. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Caio Ibelli of Brazil surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Beach goers and surfing fans flocked to Huntington Beach on Friday, August 2, 2019 to escape the heat further inland and to attend the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Barron Mamiya of Hawaii surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Griffin Colapinto of San Clemente surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Kanoa Igarashi of Huntington Beach surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Igarashi did not advance. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Kanoa Igarashi of Huntington Beach surfs during the men’s heat in round four in the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday, August 2, 2019 in Huntington Beach. Igarashi did not advance. (Photo by Mark Rightmire, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“Last year, I was pretty switched on, so if I can have that same mindset, I think I can take it all,” Colapinto said. “Kanoa and I had such a close battle, I surfed my best and he barely got me. I think I can do it this year.”
There will be only a handful of surfers standing in his way when they go back to the water on Sunday, Aug. 4, for the quarterfinals.
The waves on Friday picked up as a swell expected to bring 4- to 6-foot waves over the weekend started to slowly show, but long lulls between sets made for challenging conditions for competitors.
Igarshi went up against Barron Mamiya and Liam O’Brien in the Round 4 heat, with Mamiya earning a 6.67 and 6.30 to take the top spot, leaving Igarashi scraping for scores with only a 5.87 and 5.90 on the scoreboard.
O’Brien, sitting in the second spot and in position to advance, used strategy to keep Igarashi off waves, sitting right next to the Huntington Beach surfer and not allowing him the chance to earn a score, eliminating the reigning champ from the event.
“It was just a tricky heat with the tide coming up fast and not being able to find the wave I was looking for,” Igarashi said. “Staying next to your competitor is part of the competition, and I thought it was sick Liam did that. When it’s not firing out there, every wave is super important and he was just following me around – I probably would’ve done the same thing if I was at his home break.”
It was in a Round 4 heat against former World Champion Adriano De Souza and Mateus Herdy that Colapinto displayed his aerial strength to put big points on the scoreboard to take the top spot, winning the heat with a 16.06 (out of 20) score, the highest heat total of the day.
Colapinto grew up surfing Huntington Beach, before joining the World Tour this year – that local knowledge may give him the edge he needs over his other competitors.
“Huntington Beach is my most comfortable venue, I know every single spot of the bank,” he said.
During his Round 5 heat later Friday afternoon, Colapinto was trailing his opponent, Luel Felipe, with just minutes on the clock when he took a big left-hander toward the pier, opting to use his power surfing to take big turns rather than boosting to the air to earn points. He earned the score he needed to advance to the quarterfinals.
“That one was huge for me, I haven’t had a comeback like that in a while,” he said. “Those are the best heats you can hope for.”
De Souza, who lived in Dana Point between 2009 and 2011 before moving back to Brazil, is also comfortable with the waves in Huntington Beach.
At 32, he’s one of the veterans in the event, and one of the few who knows what it feels like to stand on the podium in front of the big crowd. He won the juniors event when he was just 15.
“This comp for me is so important, traditional,” De Souza said. “I go with the flow, see what the ocean is bringing to us.
“If I do my best, I’ll be happy.”
It was in the last heat of the day when De Souza went up against fellow Brazilian Tomas Hermes. A buzzer-beater win had surf fans on edge.
Hermes had an interference, meaning his second top score was cut in half, but still managed to take control of the heat in the dying minutes after posting a big 7.83.
With just a second on the clock, De Souza got on his feet, pumping down the line and pulling big turns to the inside – the judges awarding him the win and just enough to advance to the quarterfinals.
“I’m fighting for a good result,” he said. “I need that motivation to keep going. We’re all fighting for results, so when they come it’s a good taste.”
The surf contest resumes on Saturday, Aug. 3, with the women’s Round 4, followed by the finals for the Duct Tape Invitational and the juniors events. More information: vansusopenofsurfing.com
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