The road to becoming a Hermosa Beach Open champion officially began Friday as the 32-team men’s and women’s main draws took the sand at the third annual Wedbush Presents Hermosa Beach Open.
With $150,000 in total prize money on the line and a chance to add their names to the history of one of beach volleyball’s most iconic events, teams battled through the opening rounds of the true double-elimination tournament.
Some ended the day still unbeaten and moved one step closer to Championship Sunday. Others were pushed into the contender’s bracket, where every match from here becomes a fight to keep their Hermosa run alive.
Here’s how Day 1 unfolded.
Men’s Winner’s Bracket
Eight men’s teams finished Friday unbeaten, with Olympians, international standouts and some of the tournament’s rising names all advancing deeper into the winner’s bracket.
U.S. Olympian Andy Benesh and Taylor Crabb were among the most convincing teams of the day, moving through both of their matches without dropping a set. They will meet Troy Field and Ryan Wilcox on Saturday after Field and Wilcox also completed a perfect 2-0 opening day.
Wyatt Harrison and James Shaw put together one of Friday’s standout runs, taking down the international pairing of U.S. Olympian Miles Evans and Italian Olympian Alex Ranghieri to stay unbeaten. They now face Gage Basey and Thomas Hurst, who advanced after defeating Derek Bradford and Evan Cory.
Dutch Olympian Stefan Boermans and Canadian Olympian Chaim Schalk were pushed to three sets by Alejandro Huerta and Charlie Siragusa but came through to preserve their unbeaten record. They will face rookie Jacob LaBouliere and Paris Olympian Miles Partain, who also survived a three-set second-round battle to advance.
Scotland’s Seain Cook and Dutch athlete Leon Luini continued their strong opening day with two victories, setting up a Saturday meeting with Paris Olympian Chase Budinger and Trevor Crabb. Budinger and Crabb were another of Friday’s dominant teams, sweeping both of their opponents to reach the final eight on the winner’s side.
With just eight unbeaten teams remaining, the path through the winner’s bracket only gets tougher on Survival Saturday.
Men’s Contender’s Bracket
Friday afternoon shifted into survival mode as the men’s contender’s bracket began to take shape.
Derek Bradford and Evan Cory responded to their first loss with a straight-set victory over Patrick Buckel and Chris Shaffer. They now face U.S. Olympian Miles Evans and Italian Olympian Alex Ranghieri, who bounced back with a sweep of Tomer Hadar and Artúr Hajós.
The Bello brothers also kept their tournament alive, defeating qualifier standouts William Rivera and Diego Rosich in three sets. They will meet Cody Caldwell and Travis Mewhirter, who advanced with a straight-set win over Rottman and Walmer.
Logan Webber and Hagen Smith answered their opening loss with a sweep of Dexter Campbell and Skyler Kaufman, setting up an elimination matchup with Alejandro Huerta and Charlie Siragusa. Huerta and Siragusa stayed alive with a straight-set victory over Freystaetter and Hartmann.
Elsewhere, Brewster and Ierna moved on with a sweep of Marcus Carvalhaes and João Pedro Mares, while Tim Bomgren and Avery Drost eliminated qualifier standouts Cole Aidnik and Kyle Baily.
Eight teams remain on the contender’s side heading into Saturday. From this point forward, every loss ends a team’s weekend in Hermosa.
Women’s Winner’s Bracket
The women’s winner’s bracket produced some of Friday’s biggest surprises, with several top seeds already sent to the contender’s side.
Brecht Piersma and Molly Shaw delivered one of the day’s biggest results, sweeping top-seeded Dutch duo Raïsa Schoon and Katja Stam to move into the final eight on the winner’s side. They will face Kylie DeBerg and Lexy Denaburg, who followed their opening victory with a straight-set win over Ally Batenhorst and Sara Hughes.
Savvy Cory and Devon Newberry continued their strong season with two straight-set victories. They now meet Molly Martin and Hailey Zacca, who knocked off #4 Terese Cannon and Betsi Flint in three sets to earn their spot in Saturday’s winner’s bracket.
Andressa Cavalcanti and seventeen year old Thais Treumann also produced a major upset, battling past #3 Megan Rice and Reka Orsi Toth in three sets. Their next test comes against Madelyne May Anderson and Alaina Chacon, who advanced without dropping a set against Xolani Hodel and Kate Reilly.
Chloe Loreen and Corinne Quiggle survived a three-set battle against Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig to remain unbeaten, while #2 Kelly Cheng and Megan Kraft continued their push through Hermosa with a straight-set victory over Marine Kinna and Sarah Wood.
Saturday’s winner’s-bracket matchups are now set: Piersma/Shaw vs. DeBerg/Denaburg, Cory/Newberry vs. Martin/Zacca, Cavalcanti/Treumann vs. Anderson/Chacon and Loreen/Quiggle vs. Cheng/Kraft.
Women’s Contender’s Bracket
The women’s contender’s bracket brought plenty of drama of its own as several highly seeded teams were forced into win-or-go-home volleyball earlier than expected.
Top-seeded Raïsa Schoon and Katja Stam responded to their winner’s-bracket loss with a straight-set victory over Amber and Lauren Stivrins, keeping their Hermosa title hopes alive. They will face Jessica Foster and Michelle Shaffer, who followed their opening contender’s win with a three-set victory over Ally Batenhorst and Sara Hughes, ending the #9 seed’s tournament in 17th place.
#4 Terese Cannon and Betsi Flint also bounced back, sweeping Ella Connor and Erin Inskeep to advance into Saturday. Waiting for them are qualifier twin sisters Addison and Avery Junk, who continued an impressive run through the field with victories over Toni Rodriguez and Geena Urango before eliminating Torrey Van Winden and Abby Van Winkle in straight sets.
Isabella Martinez and Logan Walter stayed alive with two straight-set victories on the contender’s side, while Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig advanced with a sweep of qualifier winners Macy Jerger and Tory Paranagua. The two pairs will meet Saturday morning with a place in the top nine on the line.
Xolani Hodel and Kate Reilly also rebounded from their first loss, sweeping Piper Ferch and Madison Shields. They will face Megan Rice and Reka Orsi Toth, who kept their tournament alive with a straight-set victory over Devanne Sours and Teegan Van Gunst.
Like the men, eight women’s teams remain on the contender’s side entering Saturday, with no room left for error.
Survival Saturday
The stakes only get higher from here.
Saturday brings Survival Saturday to Hermosa Beach, with contender’s-bracket teams facing elimination and the remaining unbeaten pairs continuing their push toward Championship Sunday.
By the end of the day, both fields will be narrowed to the teams still fighting for a place on the podium and a chance to become 2026 Hermosa Beach Open champions.
Matches begin Saturday at 9:00 AM.