Medina wins Margaret River Pro for first time

Three-time world champion Gabriel Medina has won the Margaret River Pro for the first time after producing a standout display in his final showdown against Griffin Colapinto.

Medina beat fellow Brazilians Filipe Toledo and Joao Chianca on Friday morning to secure a spot in the decider but it was merely a taste of what was to come.

The 29-year-old saved his best for last, producing rides of 9.50 and 8.00 in the decider to tally a two-wave total of 17.50.

It proved far too much for Colapinto, who fell well short with a total of 12.27.

Medina had never even reached the semi-finals of the Margaret River Pro before, but his backhand manoeuvres set him apart from the pack on Friday.

His 9.50 ride in the final was a thing of beauty, with Medina pulling off a series of sharp turns on the lip to secure the winning total. 

"It means a lot to me. It's pretty special to win here. It's an event that I always struggled (at)," Medina told the WSL broadcast.

"It's a really hard wave to surf, and that was really challenging me. I'm happy with my improvement."

Hawaii's John John Florence was widely tipped to meet Medina in the final but he was upset by American Colapinto in their semi-final showdown.

Not only was Florence beaten, he ended up combo'd - meaning not even a perfect 10-point ride would have been enough to thrust him into the lead. 

Colapinto pulled off two huge rides to post a two-wave total of 17.50, with Florence left stranded on 11.27 points.

The hopes of Australian duo Ethan Ewing and Connor O'Leary were ended at the quarter-final stage. 

Queenslander Ewing, who won the Bells Beach crown earlier this month, was outpointed by Florence 14.83 to 11.23, while O'Leary was blown out of the water by world No.1 Chianca 11.24 to 5.50.

"It's really frustrating," O'Leary told the WSL broadcast.

"Quarters is great but I've had three now in a row and I want to go further.

"It's a bummer, but I'm knocking on the door and hopefully I'll push through."

Chianca was on track to reach the final before Medina pulled off some late heroics in their last-four battle.

Medina trailed Chianca by 4.67 with just 75 seconds remaining before pulling off a 6.50 ride to seal a spot in the decider.

The title win moved Medina from 11th to seventh on the world rankings ahead of the Surf Ranch Pro in California, starting on May 27.

Australia's Jack Robinson, who missed the Margaret River Pro with a knee injury, slipped from second to third overall, while Ewing dropped from fourth to fifth. 

Surfing legend Kelly Slater missed the mid-season cut, but has been handed a wildcard for the rest of the 2023 campaign as well as for 2024.