Australia will have four competitors at next month's World Surf League finals battle in California, but defending women's world champion Stephanie Gilmore won't be one of them.
Gilmore's quest for a ninth world title came crashing down on Wednesday (Thursday AEST) after the 35-year-old bowed out in the quarter-finals of the Tahiti Pro at the hands of eventual winner Caroline Marks.
Molly Picklum was also a quarter-final casualty at Teahupo'o but could at least celebrate her qualification for the 2024 Olympics, which will also be contested at the famed surf break.
Ranked seventh heading into the last competition before the end-of-season finals, which feature the top-five surfers, Gilmore needed a big result along with an early exit for teen star Caitlin Simmers in order to nab fifth spot.
But Gilmore could only muster a two-wave score of 2.93 against Marks to tumble out of the Tahiti Pro and also the title race.
"I was watching Steph, she's my favourite surfer so I wanted her to win," Simmers said.
"But if she didn't win I would make it to Lowers (for the end-of-season finals), so it was weird. My heart was racing watching that heat."
Marks eliminated Australian Tyler Wright in the semi-finals before overcoming compatriot Simmers in the final, scoring 9.23 to 3.94.
"It's a dream event to win for sure," Marks said.
"To have an all-American final was really fun. We're homies, so it was really cool."
Ranked world No.2 heading into the competition, Wright needed a late score of 3.99 in tricky conditions to win the heat against Marks, which would have given the two-time world champion top spot heading into next month's title decider in California.
Wright took off on a wave with just over a minute left but had an early fall and was unable to post the winning score.
Hawaiian Carissa Moore is now set to wear the yellow jersey in the one-day surf-off to decide the world champion.
Wright is the second seed, with Marks, Picklum and Simmers rounding out the top five.
In the men's draw, West Australian Jack Robinson secured the fifth and final seeding for the end-of-season finals by winning the Tahiti Pro.
Robinson, who entered Teahupo'o ranked eighth in the world, defeated Gabriel Medina in a closely contested final.
The 25-year-old joins countryman and world No.3 Ethan Ewing in qualifying for the finals.
But Ewing's participation is in doubt after he broke his back in the lead-up to the Tahiti Pro.
Brazilian Filipe Toledo will be the No.1 seed at Lower Trestles, while Griffin Colapinto (second) and Joao Chianca (fourth) are the other rivals for Robinson and Ewing.
Ewing and Robinson have also qualified for next year's Olympics.
While disappointed to lose her quarter-final against Simmers, world No.4 Picklum said she was excited to get the chance to return to Teahupo'o and chase an Olympic medal next year.
Wright had already provisionally qualified for the Games.
"To have the dangling carrot along the road to come back here and figure out such a scary line-up excites me," 20-year-old Picklum told the WSL.
"It's a whole other journey in itself and I'm really willing to take it on.
"It's really cool the Olympics is here (Tahiti) and to do your country proud and wear your country on the jersey will make me probably go (for) bigger waves and go harder."
