Rising above a forest of umbrellas and a horde of fans at Huntington Beach on Sunday afternoon was the face of Tatiana Weston-Webb, tears of happiness flowing from her eyes and screams of elation bursting from her lungs.
Filipe Toledo was in the same position soon after, parading across the beach with a Brazilian flag draped across his shoulders and two fingers raised in the air to represent the number of U.S. Open of Surfing titles he now owns.
The two were partaking in a surfing tradition in which champions don’t touch the sand on the shore after paddling in from their winning heats.
It was the first time in Weston-Webb’s young Championship Tour career that she earned the right to be hoisted up in celebration. The 20-year-old Hawaiian surprised many, including herself, with the victory.
“These final heats, I was just so on point that it did shock me a little,” Weston-Webb said. “I’m a really emotional person, and I couldn’t hold [tears] back because I’ve been dreaming about this moment for my whole life.”
Before the Open, Weston-Webb had reached the finals in a Championship Tour event only once, when she finished second in the 2015 Roxy Pro in France. In Sunday’s final, she defeated fellow Hawaiian Malia Manuel, who last won the Open in 2008 at the age of 14.
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Filipe Toledo celebrates with fans after winning the men’s title at the 2016 U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntingon Beach on Sunday.
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Brazilian surfer Filipe Toledo, 21, is swarmed by fans after winning the Vans US Open of Surfng title.
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Fans cheer as Brazilian surfer Filipe Toledo, 21, defeats Ethan Ewing for the Vans US Open of Surfng title.
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Filipe Toledo cuts away from the Huntington Beach pier during the finals of the U.S. Open of Surfing.
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Australian Ethan Ewing, 17, competes against Filipe Toledo in the final round.
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Tatiana Weston-Webb lets out a victory yell after winning the women’s title at the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday in Huntington Beach. (Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times)
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Fans carry American surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb, 20, ashore after she defeated Malia Manuel for the women’s title.
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American surfer Tatiana Weston-Webb, 20, reacts after defeating Malia Manuel for the women’s title.
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Tatiana Weston-Webb competes in the finals of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Sunday in Huntington Beach.
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Hometown surfer Kanoa Igarashi gathers his thoughts before competing in a semifinal round.
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Thousands of surf fans watch the final day of competition at the 2016 Vans U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.
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Adriano De Souza loses control of his board while competing in the semifinals of the US Open of Surfing.
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Ethan Ewing, who would finish second, cuts off the top of a wave during the finals of the U.S. Open of Surfing.
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Torrey Meister during round four of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Meister finished first in his heat.
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Josh Davis, 16, of Sacramento keeps cool under the pier while the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing competition takes place in Huntington Beach on Friday.
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Conner Coffin, left, and Matt Banting collide during round four of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Friday.
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Kanoa Igarashi signs an autograph for Kalea Mussack, 2, of Huntington Beach after competing in round four of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.
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Brett Simpson cuts back on a wave during round four of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. The two-time Open champion finished third in heat and failed to advance.
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Filipe Toledo cuts back on a wave during the fourth round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach. Toledo finished first in heat seven.
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A fan carries a shark floatie while the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing competition takes place in Huntington Beach on Friday.
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Deivid Silva rides a wave near the Huntington Beach pier during the fourth round at the U.S. Open of Surfing on Friday. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
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Bino Lopes cuts back atop a wave during round four of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach.
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Surfer Kanoa Igarashi rides a wave during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach on Thursday.
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Surfer Kanoa Igarashi takes a picture with fans after competing in round 3 of the men’s qualifying series during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach. Igarashi placed first in his heat.
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Tanner Gudauskas competes during the third round of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Thursday, July 28, 2016.
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Brazilian native Bino Lopes rides a wave during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.
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Australian surfer Jack Freestone competes during round 3 of the mens qualifying series during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.
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Surfer Carlos Munoz competes during round 3 of the mens qualifying series during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.
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Brazilian Surfer Michael Rodrigues competes during round 3 of the mens qualifying series during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.
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Surfer Tanner Gudauskas competes during round 3 of the mens qualifying series during the US Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach.
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Patrick Gudaukas of La Jolla ompetes in third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Wednesday.
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Patrick Gudaukas poses for a photo with a fan after competing during the third round of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday.
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Australian Ethan Ewing competes during the third round of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday. Ewing, 17, is making his Huntington Beach debut.
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Hawaiian surfer Keanu Asing competes during the third round of the U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Wednesday.
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Australian Keely Andrew competes during the third round of the U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday.
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Courtney Conlogue emerges from the surf after competing in the third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday. Conlogue is currently the top-ranked women’s surfer in the world.
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Surfing fans stake out their spots on the sand for the third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Wednesday.
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Courtney Conlogue of Santa Ana cuts away from the Huntington Beach Pier as she competes in third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday.
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Australian Stephanie Gilmore competes during the third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday. Gilmore, 28, is a six-time world champion.
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Carissa Kainani of Hawaii cuts off the top of a wave during the third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday.
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Lakey Peterson of Santa Barbara cuts back into a wave during the third round of competition at the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing in Huntington Beach on Wednesday.
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Australian Sally Fitzgibbons turns away from the Huntington Beach Pier as she competes during the third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday.
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Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons, 25, mingles with fans after competing in third round of the Vans U.S. Open of Surfing on Wednesday.
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Huntington Beach’s Kanoa Igarashi rides a wave during the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach on Wednesday.
(Harrison Hill / Los Angeles Times) On her way to the final, Weston-Webb upset hometown favorite and then-No. 1 Courtney Conlogue in the quarterfinals. It was a back-and-forth battle between the two, with Conlogue ripping a backside hook late for the best single-wave score of the day. It still wasn’t enough to overcome a pair of high-scoring waves by Weston-Webb.
Weston-Webb described that heat as a “defining” moment.
“Beating Courtney, I got so much confidence and thought ‘OK, I’m going to take it all the way,’” she said. “I knew that I needed to put together an almost perfect heat [against her], and I knew I needed to surf my heart out, and that’s what I did.”
Weston-Webb’s triumph shook up the Championship Tour rankings, vaulting her to No. 4 from No. 6 and unseating Conlogue to give Tyler Wright, who lost to Manuel in the semifinals, the top spot.
Huntington Beach local Kanoa Igarashi is the first Asian-American surfer to qualify for the World Surf League’s Samsung Galaxy Championship Tour.
In the men’s Qualifying Series event, Toledo hoisted his second Open trophy in three years. Oddly, the 21-year-old was one of the older competitors left on Sunday. He beat 18-year-old local Kanoa Igarashi in the semis and 17-year-old Australian Ethan Ewing in the finals.
Toledo, known for his prowess in Huntington Beach’s unique swells, won here in 2014 but was vanquished in last year’s semifinal round.
“I was really frustrated last year with my result,” he said. “This year, I was really confident and feeling really good, not under pressure.”
Ewing’s presence in the finals was unexpected. He qualified as a wild card and earlier in the week lost in the juniors semifinals, where he was heavily favored. Yet, he beat 2015 World Champion Adriano de Souza and other accomplished surfers in the pro event to snag second place overall.
“I wasn’t expecting to even make it to the quarters,” Ewing said. “Filipe is probably one of my favorite surfers in the world, so to have a final with him is amazing. I won’t forget it anytime soon.”
renee.griffin@latimes.com
@ReneeMGriffin
