Joel Parkinson's hopes for a second world surfing championship took a hit on Thursday when he was knocked out in the third round of the Pro France.
The third-ranked Queenslander fell to Brazil's Jadson Andre 13.60 points to 10.80 as world championship leader Gabriel Medina, No.2 Kelly Slater and No.4 Mick Fanning all progressed.
Fanning enjoyed the highest heat score of 17.27 and highest single wave of 9.27 points in beating fellow Australian Dion Atkinson at Hossegor.
His form wasn't quite so strong in the next three-man heat as American Kolohe Andino won directly through to the quarter-finals, consigning Fanning to a fifth-round repechage against Hawaiian John John Florence.
"Mick (Fanning) is one of my favourite surfers and he's the reigning world champ so of course I'm stoked to beat him," Andino said after racking up 16.50 points to 13.24 for Fanning and 10.16 for Matt Wilkinson.
"Anytime you draw one of those guys, you have to lift your game."
Other Australians to contest the fifth round will be Josh Kerr against Wilkinson and Taj Burrow against American Slater.
Medina and fellow Brazilian Miguel Pupo qualified directly for the quarter-finals as did South African Jordy Smith.
Pupo finished the day on a high, getting the better of Slater in the inconsistent metre-plus waves and scoring almost twice as many points as the eleven-time world champion.
"It was a tough heat," Pupo said after compiling 12.83 points to Filipe Toledo's 12 and Slater's 6.6.
"Kelly couldn't get anything - that's how hard the waves are right now. It's just a game. We were trying to find waves."
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