Photo: Pat Nolan/WSL
Like it or love it, the road to the Championship Tour goes through Huntington Beach. The U.S. Open of Surfing used to be a CT event before becoming a higher-tiered Qualifying Series contest. In the days of extravagant six-figure contracts and Nike stickers, the event reached a raucous exhibition status. Important and prestigious (click here to learn how the event changed the course of Andy Irons’ career), as it awarded points with a stacked field, but there were avenues (QS contests) for aspiring elite surfers to find ways to the CT.
Now, however, anyone looking to join the elite ranks must hop (and keep hopping) on a Huntington Beach mushburger. It’s one of only six events on the Challenger Series, the feeder system the WSL rolled out in 2022, and the only one in North America. The 2024 U.S. Open concluded on Sunday, and what it lacked in wave quality it made up with consequential matchups and qualification shakeups.
And nobody benefited more from this event than Alan Cleland Jr. The 22-year-old from Aveces, Mexico, won the first CS final of his career in dramatic fashion and jumped 42 spots on the leaderboard, landing just inside the qualification line at No. 9.
“It’s crazy. Having such a rough start of the year, to end up coming here and getting momentum, it feels amazing.” Cleland said. “Especially having a final with one of my good friends who I grew up surfing with literally since we were 8 years old. It’s an honor to see how far we’ve come. To have the support crew, the Mexico crew, all my friends and my dad, everybody here, it feels crazy.”
Photo: Emma Sharon/WSL
A slow start in the men’s final turned into an electrical finish between Cleland and Marco Mignot. With the two friends both claiming Mexican roots, it was a historic day for the country’s surf scene. Cleland, coming off a stellar showing at the Olympics, was raised in the powerful barrels of Pascuales. The fact that he surfed so seamlessly in sloppy, three-foot Huntington is a further testament to his range. Referencing Cleland’s mix of raw power and flair, one of the commentators called him “like Pancho Sulivan and Dane Reynolds combined.”
Born in Casablanca, Morocco, Mignot represents France but traveled the world as a kid and spent formative years in Sayulita, Mexico. In the final, the 23-year-old looked livelier on the face and got his fins free more often (Mignot caught five waves to Cleland’s three). An outrageous 25-minute lull took up most of the final as Cleland trailed while holding priority. At long last, a single right appeared with 10 seconds left, and he was on it. Needing a 6.61, Cleland loosed five turns without a single hop or wobble. Leaning into the suspense, the judges waited a few minutes before giving him a 6.70 and the win, Mexico’s first victory on the CS and at the U.S. Open.
All the more remarkable that Cleland, who showed shades of Andy Irons at heaving, 10-foot Teahupo’o early this month, can also pull off a Rolodex of tricks when it counts. He’ll deservedly savor this one with a cervesa or two tonight, no doubt. The next CS event will be in late September at Ericeira, Portugal, where we’ll have an even better idea of who will head to the CT in 2025.