The 2021 U.S. Open of Surfing, is open. After a year off due to the pandemic, the historic event at Huntington Beach represents a massive opportunity for Championship Tour hopefuls as the top 12 men and top six women at the end of the new four-stop Challenger Series will be elevated to the Championship Tour. Top Qualifying Series surfers and ex-CT-ers hoping to make it back into the big leagues will be fighting for those spots, but they’ll have their work cut out for them as the field of 96 men and 64 women includes top CT athletes as well, such as Conner Coffin, Griffin Colapinto, and Kanoa Igarashi on the men’s side, and Caroline Marks, Courtney Conlogue and defending 2019 U.S. Open event winner Sage Erickson.
Huntington Beach has been the historic location of the event since 1959, the early days of competitive surfing, when it was called the West Coast Surfing Championship. Titled the OP Pro in 1982, it has been the U.S. Open since 1994. The other three events in the new Challenger Series will include the MEO Pro Ericeira in Portugal October 2 – 10, the Quiksilver/ROXY Pro France October 16 – 24, with the series concluding at the Haleiwa Challenger November 25 – December 7, pandemic permitting.
“We’re very excited to bring the Challenger Series to life in 2021,” said WSL CEO, Erik Logan. “These four events will not only provide an enhanced showcase for the up-and-coming surfers, but will also allow those who fail to re-qualify through the CT the opportunity to perform well and re-qualify for the 2022 Championship Tour.”
Some of those CT surfers who are fighting for re-qualification through the Challenger Series include longtime CT veterans Michel Bourez of France, Wade Carmichael of Australia and Sage Erickson of the U.S., who narrowly missed re-qualifying for the CT during the shortened 2021 season. Lakey Peterson, who spent most of the year out of competition with a serious knee injury, will also be returning, looking to return to form. They’ll be battling it out with newer faces such as South African rookie Matthew McGillivray, former Rookie of the Year Brisa Hennessey of Costa Rica, and Australian Keely Andrew, all keen to continue their runs on the CT in 2022.
Watch the event live, above, and follow all the action at WorldSurfLeague.com.
