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World No.2 Jack Robinson will take on Brazilian Samuel Pupo in the J-Bay quarter-finals after beating 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.
Australian Jack Robinson has pulled off an epic barrel ride to overcome Kelly Slater at the World Surf League event at J-Bay, while Stephanie Gilmore and Tyler Wright have set up a dream semi-final showdown.
The round-of-16 match-up between 11-time world champion Kelly and Robinson was delicately poised until both surfers produced big rides in the dying minutes, with their scores not unveiled until after the heat finished.
Kelly needed a 6.41 on his second scoring wave to snatch the lead, and he was given a 6.67 by the judges.
But Robinson's long barrel ride took the cake, with the world No.2 awarded a 9.10 to win the battle with Slater 15.77 to 12.87.
The result booked Robinson a last-eight berth against Brazilian Samuel Pupo, who beat Australian Callum Robson in the round-of-16.
"I was excited to surf against uncle GOAT," Robinson said of Slater, who is considered the greatest male surfer of all-time.
"I saw him in Indonesia getting barrelled and I was jealous. To have a heat with him here, I was excited."
Australian Connor O'Leary beat Pupo's older brother Miguel to secure his own spot in the final eight.
O'Leary will take on Yago Dora, who upset world No.1 Filipe Toledo in the round of 16.
Ethan Ewing ensured there would be three Australians in the quarters when he beat South African Matthew McGillivray in a high-scoring battle.
Ewing will take on Jordy Smith for a spot in the semi-finals.
Italo Ferreira is up against Kanoa Igarashi in the other quarter-final.
In the women's draw, Wright beat world No.2 Johanne Defay in the quarter-finals, before Gilmore overcame Gabriela Bryan.
The results mean Wright and Gilmore will face off in the semis, with the winner to secure a spot in the final.
Gilmore currently sits fourth in the rankings and is well placed to secure a spot in the season-ending finals, in which the top five surfers battle it out for the world title.
Wright's hopes of clinching a spot in the top five started going off the rails at G-Land in Indonesia when she was forced to withdraw midway through the event after contracting COVID-19.
She missed the following event in El Salvador due to a slow recovery from the virus, and she had to give up her spot at the Rio Pro after visa issues meant she couldn't enter Brazil in time.
The triple blow saw her slip from fourth to 10th in the rankings, leaving her with just two events to claw back into the top five.
But a win at J-Bay - or even just making the final - would thrust her right back into the race for a spot in the season-ending title showdown.
