Two-times world runner-up Silvana Lima has forced her way back on to the main surfing tour by winning the Sydney International Women's Pro at Cronulla Beach.
Brazilian Lima clinched the second-tier Qualifying Series title and regained a spot on the World Surf League Championship tour with an 11.30 to 8.60 win over Australian Phillipa Anderson in Sunday's final of the season-ending QS event.
Event host and the competition's highest ranked surfer, Sally Fitzgibbons, lost in the fifth round.
The world No.8 was shaded 13.33 to 12.73 by compatriot Bronte Macaulay, who only secured the win with a last minute wave.
Macaulay was eliminated in the quarter finals by Merewether giant-killer Anderson, who claimed another higher ranked Australian scalp of Keely Andrew in the semi-finals, winning both heats by less than 2.
However, West Australian Macaulay accumulated enough points to finish high enough in the QS to clinch her first full year on the championship tour in 2017.
The Sunshine Coast's Andrew, who was a championship rookie in 2016, also secured her spot for 2017 by finishing in the top six of the QS.
Lima, 32, has suffered a number of major knee injuries in recent years after finishing runner-up on the tour in 2008 and 2009.
She didn't qualify for the 2016 tour but was the class act of the field in Sydney.
She surfed five times on Sunday and recorded the three highest scores of the day, 16.34, 15,84 and 15,00.
No other surfer was able to tally as much as 14.
Lima defeated Hawaiian Coco Ho in the quarter finals and had a semi-final win over Australia's world junior champion Isabella Nichols, whose hopes were affected by a interference call.
She underlined her potential by earlier eliminating world No.9 Sage Erickson in the fifth round.
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