Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi handled his business Tuesday on the south side of the Huntington Beach Pier as the U.S. Open of Surfing completed the first round of the men’s competition, reducing the number of surfers still in contention for a title from 96 to 48. Igarashi’s confidence on the south side wave comes from his familiarity with it, surfing it hundreds of times for nearly his entire life. Igarashi has a history with both, facing Colapinto numerous times in contests growing up as kids, then beating Colapinto in the final heat to win the US Open in 2018. O’Brien knocked out both Igarashi and Colapinto in the 2019 Open, on his way to the final, where he ultimately lost to Yago Dora. Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi does a backside 360 as he competes in Heat 24 of the Round of 96 on Tuesday morning.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 22, 2021 02:03 UTC