Canada's teenage star Erin Brooks has come from the clouds to deny Israel's Anat Lelior in a brilliant Tahiti Pro final, before Seth Moniz sealed an emotional first top-level World Surf League title.
Teahupo'o's famous break delivered a memorable final day that looked to be Lelior's when the Tel Aviv rookie, who learnt to surf on tiny waves in the Mediterranean Sea, shot to a commanding lead.
But, after Lelior had spat out 8.33 and 8-point rides, 19-year-old Texas-born Brooks, who competes for Canada, lifted.
She mustered an 8.27 and then, with the clock counting down, found a heat-best 8.93-point tube to win 17.20 to 16.33.
Victory shot Brooks seven places up the rankings to 11th, with six events remaining.
"The season has been really hard and I've lost out on every second round, every event," she said.
"So to have a win gives me so much more confidence because I was almost doubting myself.
"The girls have gotten so much better and I was really bummed on my results. But I'm happy with this one."
Moniz was masterful on the way to the biggest moment of his career, albeit in waves slightly smaller than the monsters Kelly Slater had slayed earlier in the competition.
He made his move halfway through the heat against Californian Griffin Colapinto, charging down into a gaping cavern on his backhand, squeezing out at the last second and riding into a screaming, splashing crowd of spectators watching from the channel.
The 9.07 score and an earlier excellent wave looked to be enough for the win as Colapinto tried to better his pair of seven-point rides.
But Moniz had more to come as the finishing hooter sounded, snaring a near replica deep barrel for a 9.10 and a massive two-wave total of 18.17 out of a possible 20.
"This whole week has been surreal. I've had this crazy momentum every time, just in perfect sync with the ocean," the 28-year-old Hawaiian said after his win.
"Surfing is such a hard sport, and only one guy wins every time. I put so much work into this and it finally paid off."
Colapinto had edged out Australian Jack Robinson in the quarter-final, after he had ended Slater's run a round earlier.
Ethan Ewing also reached the quarter-final stage while Brooks beat both Molly Picklum and Isabella Nichols to reach the decider.
With Reuters
