American surfer Kelly Slater, 54, delivered a masterclass performance at the Tahiti Pro, securing a near-perfect heat score of 19.06 to eliminate Gabriel Medina.
Slater, an 11-time world champion, was granted a wildcard entry into the event. He achieved his score by taming Teahupo’o, one of the world’s heaviest waves, with two deep barrels scoring 9.73 and 9.33.
The veteran surfer, who has won the Tahiti Pro five times before, had recently returned to daily surfing following hip surgery late last year. He is set to face Australia’s Jack Robinson in the third round.