Stephanie Gilmore has snagged her first tour win in 2026, with the Australian great making a statement in her opening heat at Snapper Rocks.
The eight-time world surf champion won her first-round meeting against young Canadian Erin Brooks, who ousted her from the last competition at Margaret River.
Gilmore was also a first-round casualty at Bells Beach as she makes her full-time return to competitive surfing following a two-year hiatus.
The Gold Coast Pro was another fierce battle between the pair, with the local legend using her smarts to get the better of the aggressive 18-year-old, 13.26 to 12.63, on Friday.
Calling Brooks a future world champion, Gilmore was beaming after bagging the breakthrough win.
"I'm rusty, I'm not going to lie, like I've had two seasons off, so just to get through those two heats and get back in the motion of things ... my advice here from 'Snake' (coach Jake Paterson) was just catch waves and get in a rhythm," Gilmore said.
"I know that I have to keep going to the next level if I want to keep winning these heats.
"Erin is such a tough competitor and I thought she got the score at the end there.
"She definitely has a fierceness to her where you can see she'll be a world champion 100 per cent, and she's just putting the pieces together and she'll get there.
"The whole generation right now of young girls is just blowing my mind, so I'm so happy to be here and be a part of it and get one heat win."
Gilmore has won the Gold Coast event six times, with the World Surf League tour returning to her home break after a seven-year absence.
It was set to host the event last year, but a cyclone forced a relocation to Burleigh Heads, with Gilmore's cameo there ended by Brooks in the quarter-finals.
The large crowd on the beach on Friday erupted when the 38-year-old emerged from a tight barrel to post a score of 6.33.
Gilmore's trademark smooth carving turns and combinations then secured a score of 6.93.
That left Brooks needing a 7.93 to take the lead, and she gave Gilmore a huge fright, locking on to a wave with 25 seconds remaining, before falling just short with a 7.3.
Two other veteran Australians - Sally Fitzgibbons and Tyler Wright - also enjoyed a successful day out.
Fitzgibbons overcame American Bella Kenworthy 12.33 to 11.60, while Wright, who missed Margaret River as she battles chronic injuries, was too good for Israeli Anat Lelior, winning 11.37 to 7.36.
The heat between Hawaiian great Carissa Moore and French 15-year-old Tya Zebrowski was also a show-stopper, with both surfers left in tears.
Moore, who is making a comeback after becoming a mother, pulled on to a wave at the death and scored a 6.50 to take the win.
Australia's reigning world champion Molly Picklum was seeded through to the second round.
The men's field completed four heats of round one early in the day, with Morgan Cibilic and Callum Robson the winning locals.
Round two got under way following the women, but only two heats were surfed before competition was called off for the day.
