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Australian rookie Callum Robson and countryman Ethan Ewing are both assured of surviving the mid-season cut despite falling short of title glory at Bells Beach.

Ethan Ewing's hopes of emulating his mother by winning Bells Beach have been cruelly denied as Brazilian Filipe Toledo knocked off two rising Australian stars to win the iconic WSL event.

Ewing soared into the final four after posting an impressive quarter-final win over Olympic bronze medallist Owen Wright on Saturday.

But his 35-minute semi-final against Toledo on Sunday was blighted by a lack of surfable waves.

Ewing's first scoring wave didn't come until there was just six minutes remaining - and it was too small to do any major damage.

And after Toledo had gone to the air in the early stages of the heat to post a 6.0 before following it up with a 4.73, Ewing needed a 7.30 on his second scoring wave to secure victory.

Ewing set off on just his second wave with 30 seconds remaining, but he crashed out on his first turn in an attempt to pull off something special.

The 23-year-old's late mother Helen Lambert won the 1983 Bells Beach title, and Ethan was visibly devastated after losing to Toledo.

"I'm just super shattered after that one," Ewing said.

"I felt like if a good wave came through, I would have been in a good position. But time ran out.

"I wish we went on hold. I know the heat before had a lot of waves, but looking back it's pretty bad."

Australian rookie Callum Robson secured a spot in the final after edging past countryman Jack Robinson 11.86 to 11.50 in a tight semi-final showdown.

But Toledo was a class above in the decider, going to the air on numerous occasions to win 14.74 to 12.94.

His first wave was the best of the lot, pulling off an alley-oop before finishing with a full ramp reverse.

Toledo, who marked his 27th birthday on Saturday by beating John John Florence in the quarter-finals, is now the new world No.1 heading into the Margaret River Pro.

"It's the best feeling in the world. It's the best birthday present ever," Toledo said after winning Bells Beach for the first time.

"It's always been a dream to win this event. So much history, so many special names on the stairs."

Although Robson couldn't come up trumps in the final, his performance moved him up to sixth in the world rankings, and ensured he has already done enough to survive the mid-season cut.

Ewing shot up to eighth, and he is also assured of making the cut when it's made after the upcoming Margaret River Pro.

"I think I'll take a lot of confidence away from my performance here," Ewing told the WSL broadcast.

"I felt good. I felt like I had a lot more to give to be honest. I'll keep working hard and look forward to Margs."