Gold Coast favourite Stephanie Gilmore will again lock horns with American rival Carissa Moore at the Snapper Rocks Roxy Pro after a stunning on-the-buzzer wave to reach the quarterfinals.
Needing at least an 8.34 on her final wave on Saturday evening, Gilmore looked long odds to get past American Courtney Conlogue, who had opened the heat with a day-high 9.5.
But in rough conditions the six-time world champion pulled off an 8.4 score in the final ten seconds.
"That was my last roll of the dice. I was just lucky that it opened up on the inside," Gilmore told Fox Sports.
"I was still convinced I didn't get the score.
"Basically I was going to catch another wave to Greenmount (Beach) and walk all the way home. But I'm so happy."
Gilmore was pipped by Moore in Friday's round three heat, courtesy of an 8.53 wave after the buzzer.
Fellow Australian Nikki Van Dijk also progressed to the quarterfinals, with the Melbourne-resident using a thicker board to combat the choppy conditions.
She narrowly toppled Hawaiian Coco Ho by 0.73 points to set up a meeting with France's Johanne Day.
Wild weather had earlier in the day forced officials to put the men's event on hold for more than an hour.
"I'm really used to windy and raw conditions," Van Dijk said.
"I was kind of right at home out there but I literally couldn't hear anything.
"We were kind of out in the wild."
In another tight fourth round heat, 22-year-old Californian Lakey Peterson edged past Hawaiian Tatiana Weston-Webb by 0.26 points.
She now faces defending event champion Tyler Wright, who had progressed directly to the quarterfinals on Friday.
Sunshine Coast product Sally Fitzgibbons will meet Keely Andrews in the final eight after a two-wave 16.5 out of 20 was enough to get past compatriot Bronte Macaulay.
Fitzgibbons said she underestimated the size of the swell.
"I'm still picking the sand out of my ears," she said.
"You're trying to pick which layer of the wave you have to go and hit. I haven't surfed Snapper that big in ages."
The final is expected to be held on Sunday.
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