It was another day of underdog victories at the Vans US Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. As the 9-day competition came to a close, unexpected winners were crowned in both the women’s and men’s competitions — Johanne Defay (FRA) and Hirroto Ohhara (JAP).
Joahnne Defay (FRA) wins the Vans US Open of Surfing. Image: WSL / Morris
Defay took her first Championship Tour victory today, outsurfing Australian Sally Fitzgibbons in a stressful final heat. The French native came out strong with a series of backhand snaps, quickly earning her a 7.67 and the advantage over Fitzgibbons. With 5 minutes left on the clock, Fitzgibbons responded with a big reverse and two turns to take back the edge. Steady and strong, though, Defay rallied for a score of 5.87 and the championship.
Defay, elated over her victory gushed, “I don’t think I can put it into words. It’s very hard to digest and I don’t know how to say how I feel — it’s so crazy . . . I guess it’s all the work I’ve done before and it’s all come together. I’ve just been sticking to same game plan, trying to get a lot of waves. It was tricky at the start but then I got that score which put me in a better position. I feel really good, last year everything was so new and this year I feel way more comfortable.”
She continued, “It’s pretty amazing, I could never imagine that I could win here or that I could win an event. I just took it heat by heat and it’s so crazy. This is definitely my biggest win. Ending up last year at eighth on the rankings I thought maybe I could do top five so we’ll see what happens this year.”
Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) claims victory at the Vans US Open of Surfing Men’s QS 10,000.
Image: WSL / Morris
The men’s final was equally dramatic, beginning in the semifinals when unsponsored Tanner Hendrickson upset the 2015 defending champ, Filipe Toledo. Hendrickson came into the final on a high and with what looked like the victory with just under 4 minutes left in the final heat. But Oharra still had a few tricks of his own, surprising the crowd of an estimated 75,000 with three solid turns on the outside and a well-executed inside maneuver to clench the win with a score of 9.17.
Oharra is not only the first Japanese surfer to win the open, but also the first to make the finals. His win earned him a $100,000 prize, 10,000 points, and a massive jump in the rankings from 81st to 13th.
“I don’t know how to say it, I’m just so stoked,” said Ohhara. “It feels like something very special today. Now I think I’m really looking forward to the rest of the year. I’ve learnt everything here and I got a good result here.”
Women’s CT Final Results:
1: Johanne Defay (FRA) 13.54
2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.83
Women’s CT Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Johanne Defay (FRA) 12.17 def. Bianca Buitendag (ZAF) 12.16
SF 2: Sally Fitzgibbons (AUS) 11.83 def. Courtney Conlogue (USA) 7.50
Men’s QS 10,000 Final Results:
1: Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) 14.50
2: Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 12.90
Men’s QS 10,000 Semifinal Results:
SF 1: Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) 13.50 def. Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 13.16
SF 2: Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 13.24 def. Filipe Toledo (BRA) 13.07
Men’s QS 10,000 Quarterfinal Results:
QF 1: Kanoa Igarashi (USA) 14.00 def. Nathan Yeomans (USA) 11.40
QF 2: Hiroto Ohhara (JPN) 14.67 def. Ryan Callinan (AUS) 14.54
QF 3: Filipe Toledo (BRA) 14.93 def. Alex Ribeiro (BRA) 14.30
QF 4: Tanner Hendrickson (HAW) 13.26 def. Kolohe Andino (USA) 7.93
Featured image: Johanne Defay (FRA) secured her maiden Championship Tour victory today at Huntington Beach. Image courtesy of WSL / Morris.
