RSSS Alum Jake Marshall Wins U.S. Open as Sierra Kerr Claims Breakthrough Victory
Former Revolt Summer Surf Series competitor Jake Marshall scores the biggest win of his career while Sierra Kerr delivers a breakthrough victory of her own at the 2026 Lexus U.S. Open of Surfing.
Huntington Beach showed up in a big way for the 2026 Lexus U.S. Open of Surfing Presented by Pacifico. After a week of solid surf, huge crowds and high-level competition in Surf City USA, Jake Marshall and Sierra Kerr emerged from Finals Day with the biggest victories of their careers.
For us at Revolt In Style, Marshall’s win hits a little closer to home. Long before he was battling the world’s best surfers on the Championship Tour, Jake Marshall competed in our own Pro-Am surfing competition, the Revolt Summer Surf Series.
We watched plenty of talented young surfers come through the series over the years, so seeing a Revolt alum climb the podium as a U.S. Open champion makes an already impressive victory that much sweeter.
Jake Marshall Finally Gets His Breakthrough
Marshall has spent years proving he belongs among surfing’s elite.
The 27-year-old Encinitas surfer has been competing at the Championship Tour level for five years and has made multiple deep runs in major events, but the top step of a World Surf League podium had continued to elude him.
Not anymore.
Marshall put together an impressive run through Huntington Beach, defeating Brazil’s Gabriel Klaussner in the Quarterfinals before taking down fellow Southern California standout Hayden Rodgers in the Semifinals.
Waiting for him in the Final was one of the toughest possible opponents at Huntington Beach… Kanoa Igarashi.
Marshall vs. Igarashi Delivers a Classic
Igarashi came into the Final looking for his third U.S. Open title.
The Huntington Beach local won the event in 2017 and 2018 and knows the waves, crowds and pressure of the U.S. Open better than almost anyone.
The Final quickly turned into the battle everyone hoped it would be.
Marshall opened quickly, but Igarashi responded with a 6.67 and later found one of the better waves of the heat, posting a 7.40 to take control.
Marshall stayed patient.
With priority, he waited for the wave he needed.
When it finally arrived, Marshall went to work on his backhand, linking the outside sections before driving through to the inside and hammering the finishing section in front of a crowd packed with family, friends and thousands of surf fans.
He needed a 7.31.
The judges dropped an 8.00.
Suddenly, Marshall was in front.
Igarashi wasn’t finished. A final opportunity arrived as the clock expired, leaving Huntington Beach waiting for one last score.
It wasn’t enough.
Jake Marshall was the 2026 U.S. Open of Surfing champion.
From the Revolt Summer Surf Series to Huntington Beach
That’s the part of the story we’re particularly stoked about.
Marshall’s path didn’t begin under the giant scaffolding and television cameras of the U.S. Open.
Like so many successful professional surfers, it included years of junior events, regional contests, Pro-Am competitions and weekends spent chasing heats up and down the Southern California coast.
The Revolt Summer Surf Series was part of that journey.
Seeing a former Revolt competitor eventually progress through the ranks, reach the Championship Tour and win one of professional surfing’s most recognizable events is a pretty good reminder of why grassroots competitions matter.
They give young surfers a place to compete, learn how to win and lose, deal with pressure and test themselves against the next generation coming up alongside them.
Years later, one of those surfers is standing on top of the podium at Huntington Beach.
That’s cool.
Sierra Kerr Scores a Breakthrough of Her Own
The women’s Final delivered its own share of late-heat drama.
Australia’s Sierra Kerr faced reigning World Junior Champion Isla Huppatz in a matchup featuring two of the brightest young surfers in the sport.
Kerr established the early advantage, but Huppatz kept pushing.
Late in the Final, Huppatz found the opportunity she needed and threatened to turn the heat completely around.
Kerr answered.
Under maximum pressure, she found another scoring opportunity and reclaimed control to secure her first Challenger Series victory and first U.S. Open of Surfing title.
It was another major milestone for a surfer who has been generating attention for years as one of the most naturally talented young competitors in women’s surfing.
Isla Huppatz Continues to Impress
Huppatz may have finished runner-up, but Huntington Beach provided even more evidence that the 18-year-old Australian belongs on the list of surfers to watch.
The reigning World Junior Champion reached her first Challenger Series Final after surviving her own dramatic Semifinal battle with Sophie McCulloch.
The result moved Huppatz to No. 4 in the Challenger Series rankings and strengthened her position as a legitimate Championship Tour qualification threat.
Kerr and Huppatz are likely to have plenty more battles ahead of them.
Kanoa Comes Within Inches of a Third Title
For Igarashi, the loss was about as close as it gets.
The Huntington Beach native has already cemented himself in U.S. Open history after winning consecutive titles in 2017 and 2018.
His 2026 run marked another appearance in the Final after victories over Lucca Mesinas and Griffin Colapinto.
The hometown favorite nearly pulled off one more piece of U.S. Open magic with that final wave against Marshall, but the score fell just short.
He still leaves Huntington Beach with another reminder of just how dangerous he is at his home break.
Next stop?
A considerably different challenge at Teahupo’o.
Griffin Colapinto Earns Peter Townend Excellence Award
There were plenty of other standout performances throughout Finals Day.
Griffin Colapinto produced one of the biggest numbers of the day with a 16.00-point Quarterfinal heat total against Mateus Herdy.
The performance earned Colapinto the Peter Townend Excellence Award, created in recognition of 50 years of World Tour surfing and surfing’s first World Champion, Peter Townend.
Hayden Rodgers also continued his rise with another strong Challenger Series result, while former Championship Tour competitor Deivid Silva kept himself firmly in the qualification conversation.
A U.S. Open Worth Remembering
And Huntington Beach deserves some credit of its own.
The ocean cooperated throughout the event, delivering real surf and giving the competitors enough opportunity to put on a show.
When Huntington gets waves, the U.S. Open becomes something different.
Thousands of people lining the beach, the world’s best surfers trading waves in the middle of Surf City USA and careers changing in a matter of minutes.
That’s exactly what happened in 2026.
Sierra Kerr leaves Huntington Beach with the biggest Challenger Series victory of her career.
Jake Marshall leaves as a U.S. Open champion.
And we’ll admit it – seeing a Revolt Summer Surf Series alum standing on top of that podium made this year’s men’s Final just a little more special around here.
Congratulations, Jake. From the Revolt Summer Surf Series to U.S. Open champion – that’s one hell of a ride.
Lexus US Open of Surfing Women’s Final Results:
1 – Sierra Kerr (AUS) 12.50
2 – Isla Huppatz (AUS) 11.90
Lexus US Open of Surfing Men’s Final Results:
1 – Jake Marshall (USA) 14.77
2 – Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 14.07
Lexus US Open of Surfing Women’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Sierra Kerr (AUS) 11.57 DEF. Johanne Defay (FRA) 9.70
HEAT 2: Isla Huppatz (AUS) 12.67 DEF. Sophie McCulloch (AUS) 11.40
Lexus US Open of Surfing Men’s Semifinal Results:
HEAT 1: Jake Marshall (USA) 12.70 DEF. Hayden Rodgers (USA) 11.27
HEAT 2: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 12.10 DEF. Griffin Colapinto (USA) 11.57
Lexus US Open of Surfing Men’s Quarterfinal Results:
HEAT 1: Jake Marshall (USA) 14.07 DEF. Gabriel Klaussner (BRA) 12.20
HEAT 2: Hayden Rodgers (USA) 14.34 DEF. Deivid Silva (BRA) 10.60
HEAT 3: Griffin Colapinto (USA) 16.00 DEF. Mateus Herdy (BRA) 14.50
HEAT 4: Kanoa Igarashi (JPN) 12.34 DEF. Lucca Mesinas (PER) 11.73
