Brazil's Yago Dora reclaimed the world number one ranking and five-time world champion Carissa Moore produced late heroics to advance to the quarter-finals of the Lexus Trestles Pro on Thursday in California.
Dora took over the rankings lead following an early second-round exit by Italy's Leonardo Fioravanti. The Brazilian maintained his momentum with a victory over French Olympic gold medalist Kauli Vaast in an all-goofyfoot clash to keep his title defense alive.
In the women's draw, Hawaii's Moore faced a stern test from Costa Rica's Brisa Hennessy. Trailing and having surrendered wave priority with barely a minute on the clock, Moore caught an inside wave and executed a series of sharp forehand turns to score 7.23 out of 10, securing a buzzer-beater victory to protect her world number one spot.
Fellow Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan also advanced to the quarter-finals in dominant fashion, posting an event-high 8.50 on her forehand to defeat French rookie Tya Zebrowski and keep pressure on Moore in the rankings race.
The men's round three produced several major upsets. Australia's Callum Robson stunned local contender Griffin Colapinto with a 7.33-point ride in the dying moments to consolidate his spot in the tour's top 22.
France's Marco Mignot delivered another shock by eliminating 2019 world champion and Olympic gold medalist Italo Ferreira, joining Mateus Herdy and Liam O'Brien in a wave of underdogs advancing through the early rounds.