ENCINITAS — For the second year in a row, an Encinitas surfer emerged from the water at the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach, triumphantly hoisted onto the shoulders of supporters.
On Aug. 2, Jake Marshall, 27, celebrated on the same stretch of sand where Levi Slawson was carried after his victory last year.
“I can’t believe it,” Marshall said. “Coming in and having both my brothers on the beach is a dream come true.”
The win marked a long-awaited breakthrough for Marshall. He began competing on the World Surf League‘s Junior Tour in 2011 and has been on the Championship Tour since 2022.
Despite years competing at the sport’s highest levels, Marshall had never won a WSL event. He previously finished runner-up at the U.S. Open in 2021 and placed fifth in 2023.
“I just kept grinding and kept trying,” Marshall said on Instagram. “I’ve come up so many times, and I just kept putting my head down and kept going.
“Earlier this year was one of the hardest competitive years of my life, and to win this event means so much to me. Just to win, I can’t even say. All my family and friends are down here; it’s an amazing moment. It’s really cool.”
Slawson’s title defense ended in the Round of 32 with a loss to Marshall.
In the final, Marshall faced Kanoa Igarashi, 28.
Igarashi, who is based in Huntington Beach, won a silver medal for Japan at the Tokyo Olympics and captured U.S. Open titles in 2017 and 2018.
He took the early lead in the final with a forehand attack that earned a 7.40.
Marshall answered with an 8-point ride after dropping into a wave and held the lead until the final buzzer.
“There’s something really special about being at the US Open and being able to compete in front of all of you,” Igarashi said to the crowd after the final. “It brings an atmosphere that’s nowhere else in the world. I’m not just saying that because I’m biased and from here.”
In addition to Slawson, Marshall joins Rob Machado as U.S. Open champions from Encinitas.
Women’s final
Australia’s Sierra Kerr defeated fellow Australian Ilsa Huppatz in the women’s final.
Kerr had stepped away from competition for several months after being diagnosed with Lyme disease and neurological complications. She described the feeling after the win as “numb,” reflecting on how uncertain her future had seemed during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
“A lot of times, no one saw the tears, the pain, the not being able to get out of bed,” Kerr said. “Now, I’m just getting chaired up at the most prestigious event in the world, and I’m just so grateful.”
What helped along the way?
“Just keep getting to tomorrow,” Kerr said. “No matter if you’re going backward at that time, just keep getting to tomorrow. There’s always a chance that tomorrow will be better, and it’s better right now. Thank you to my family, my mom and dad, who have been there for me at my worst, and sharing this with them is incredible.”
