Stephanie Gilmore has given her world surfing title defence a major boost by booking a Corona Open quarter-final berth at South Africa's Jeffreys Bay.
Gilmore looked out of sorts in the opening heat at Supertubes on Tuesday but the eight-time world champion made a statement in the elimination round, ousting 2022 J-Bay champion Tatiana Weston-Webb.
The 35-year-old Australian posted two strong scores early in the heat and finished with a total of 14.37, with the Brazilian struggling to find her rhythm before posting a late score of 8.0 to tally 12.40.
With one event remaining before the World Surf League Finals, which features only the top five, Gilmore arrived at the event in equal sixth position on the rankings with Weston-Webb.
But with fifth-ranked Caitlin Simmers bowing out in elimination, Gilmore has a chance to collect valuable points to bridge the gap.
"There's a lot of water moving but it's just perfect, pumping J-Bay - that's what we come here for," Gilmore told the WSL.
"We waited a long time but it arrived and it's just so beautiful out there.
"That was a crucial heat for me because Tati (Weston-Webb), Caity (Simmers), Lakey (Peterson) and all around sitting around the same zone so that was a really crucial heat for me."
She will next take on Molly Picklum in an all-Australian quarter-final after the youngster overcame Bettylou Sakura Johnson in a nail-biting elimination heat.
Picklum, 20, only picked up the winning score with just over a minute left on the clock to advance.
World No.1 Carissa Moore was forced to scramble over the rocks and run down the beach to collect a replacement board after hers snapped in half after a wipe-out in the rolling six-foot sets.
But the Hawaiian still managed to overcome French surfer Johanne Defay.
Earlier, world No.2 Tyler Wright cruised straight through to a quarter-final meeting with Hawaii's Gabriela Bryan, relishing the rising swell at the famous point break to win her opening heat.
Wright got some revenge on Weston-Webb, who beat the Australian in last year's final, scoring 14.90 for her two best waves to send her rival to the elimination round against Gilmore.
Two-time world champion Wright said she had to overcome cramping in the heat.
"I was worried I was getting my period during the heat as I had some wild cramping," Wright told the WSL.
"There was a point when I didn't think I was going to be able to push ... I thought I'd have to be really selective and not do much more than pick the best waves that come through and I feel like I did that pretty well."
Australia's men rebounded from their first-round disappointment with world No.3 Ethan Ewing, Jack Robinson and Connor O'Leary all winning their sudden-death heats.
Ewing (14.73) overcame a local hope in Adin Masencamp (8.50), while Robinson won a thriller against 11-time world champion Kelly Slater with just 0.24 point splitting the pair.
Sydneysider O'Leary was on fire, opening with a 9.57 before tallying 18.24 to outscore compatriot Callum Robson's 10.33.
Ryan Callinan put in a strong showing to overcome Hawaiian Seth Moniz while fellow Australian Liam O'Brien fell to Japan's Kanoa Igarashi in a high-quality showdown.
Ewing, O'Leary and Robinson went on to progress from the round of 16 but Callinan lost narrowly to Brazil's Gabriel Medina (16.83 to 16.03).
O'Leary eliminated two-time world champion John John Florence with a buzzer-beating late ride.
"I’m in a really good head space at the moment, I’m exactly where I need to be and still trying to have a good time,” said O'Leary.
In the quarter-finals Ewing is paired with O'Leary while Robinson faces Brazil's Filipe Toledo, the 2022 world champion.
