Stephanie Gilmore has lost further ground on rankings leader Carissa Moore after failing to reach the quarter-finals at the World Surf League event at Rottnest Island.
Seven-time world champion Gilmore was upset by Victorian Nikki Van Dijk in a round of 16 heat on Thursday in Western Australia, ending the Australian swing of her world title campaign on a disappointing note.
Van Dijk reached her first quarter-final of the year by putting together a two-wave score of 13.83, leaving Gilmore needing a 7.34 which she was unable to do in the dying minutes of the heat.
"I've had a really hard time getting out of that round this year so stoked to make that one this morning," van Dijk said.
"I just feel like I'm surfing pretty well at the moment so I kind of just want to enjoy myself and get some scores."
With world No.4 Caroline Marks also exiting on Thursday and world No.2 Tatiana Weston Webb eliminated earlier in the competition, four-time world champion Moore seized the moment to extend her rankings lead.
The Hawaiian was too strong for local wildcard Mia McCarthy in their round of 16 heat, setting up a showdown with Australian tour rookie Isabella Nichols.
Nichols continued her impressive form in 2021 by eliminating WA favourite Bronte Macaulay and will be out to stop Moore in a repeat of the match-up that contested the final at the Newcastle Cup last month.
Van Dijk meanwhile next faces two-time world champion Tyler Wright, who advanced to the last eight at the expense of Sage Erickson.
American Erickson was competed despite suffering a nasty cut to her chin, which required four stitches, after falling off a bicycle on Wednesday.
Currently fifth on the world rankings, Wright will be hoping to make the most of the early exits of Gilmore, Weston-Webb and Marks.
"I really converted in the front half which was a bit surprising, but I'm happy with that," Wright said.
"Sage came off so everyone's feeling for her today - on the bike - she got grazed up and got some stitches.
"It's my first time in overlapping (heats) so I was a bit like, 'alright, okay', wrapping my head around it but, yeah, it was good."
Sally Fitzgibbons, ranked sixth, defeated Macy Callaghan to advance to a meeting with Marks' conqueror Malia Manuel for a semi-final berth.
The other women's quarter-final match up will be between France's Johanne Defay, who claimed a comfortable win over Australia's Keely Andrew, and Japan's Amuro Tsuzuki.
