Eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will have to wait a little longer at J-Bay in her quest to make the World Surf League finals and defend her title.
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The men's opening round of the Corona Open at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa got underway on Thursday while the women's event was held over due to deteriorating conditions in the afternoon.
Gilmore arrived at Supertubes in sixth position in the standings with the top five surfers to contest the tour's finals in the US in September.
She trails fifth-placed American Caitlin Simmers by a hefty 7035 points, with the African stop to be followed only by the Tahiti Pro.
Each event has a maximum of 10,000 points on offer.
A winner at J-Bay in 2018, 35-year-old Gilmore was eliminated in the semi-finals last year by fellow Australian Tyler Wright, who was beaten in the final by Brazil's Tatiana Weston-Webb.
No.2-ranked Wright is already assured of a spot in the finals where she will chase her third world crown - the first time in five years she has been in title contention.
Australian young gun Molly Picklum is currently ranked fourth.
In the men's event, none of the six Australian surfers managed to win their heat on Thursday to avoid the elimination round.
Looking to defend his Corona Open title, won in a thrilling final against compatriot Jack Robinson last year, world No.3 Ethan Ewing was first in the water.
The Queenslander chased down everything but his score of 11.67 wasn't enough to topple Indonesia's Rio Waida, who won the heat with just two waves with a combined score of 14.10
West Australian Robinson, who led the tour early this year, is currently sitting eighth after his season was interrupted by a knee injury.
He was in the last heat of the day with an on-shore wind affecting conditions and was a distant third. Talented Italian Leonardo Fioravanti took the spoils.
Robinson trails Brazilian world No.5 Yago Dora by fewer than 3000 rankings points so his hopes of reaching the finals for the second consecutive year are still alive.
World No.2 American Griffin Colapinto dominated his heat, sending Queensland's Liam O'Brien and 11-time world champion Kelly Slater into the sudden-death round.
Sydney's Connor O'Leary posted a strong score of 13.53 but was pipped by Dora, who finished with the top score of the day with 16.27, including a 9.27 wave.
Filipe Toledo won his heat as did two-time world champion John John Florence, who overcame Australia's Callum Robson and Italo Ferreira of Brazil.
Top-ranked Toledo is looking to extend his overall lead and is among the favourites in an event he won in 2017 and 2018.
Australian Associated Press
