Local hope Xavier Huxtable has put in of the best performances of his surfing career, beating ex-champ and world number one Italo Ferreira at the Rip Curl Pro.
The win sees the Jan Juc local advance to the round of 16, winning with a solid score of 13.66 in the first heat of Friday’s action.
Ferraira bundled out in the Round of 32, the Brazilian won the comp back in 2018 and is also an Olympic gold medallist winning in Tokyo.
The remaining of the men’s Round of 32 continues today, ahead of the Round of 16 which will, with the women’s quarterfinals to hold off until tomorrow.
Friday’s action had a delayed start, not kicking off until about 9.30am as poor conditions continue to frustrate surfing fans at Bells Beach.