- WSL / Matt Dunbar

Ten surfers remain in the Round of 16 after a quick day of competition in which only three heats of the Rip Curl Rottnest Search presented by Corona were surfed.

Of those ten surfers, five of them are Brazilian. Amongst them, four are goofy-footers and three are previous World Champions.

"This is a tricky wave, so I was happy to find a rhythm with the waves. I have been surfing here a lot and have been loving it. It's been fun," said Gabriel Medina after posting the highest heat score of the opening round.

Post Show: Rankings Leaders Moore, Medina Rolling At Strickland Bay, Other Big Names Fall
20:24
Gabriel Medina and Carissa Moore continue to set the pace at the Rip Curl Rottnest Search presented by Corona.

"There's a lot of opportunity out there, so you can create something and change the score and put the pressure," agreed Italo Ferreira, who's creative, energetic approached has been on point throughout the event.

As to be expected, Medina and Ferreira, who sit one and two on the WSL Leaderboard, have been fronting the charge, but overall, it's been a team effort.

When the swell fills back in and the event starts again, Medina will face is good friend and Rip Curl teammate Owen Wright. The last time they met was the Finals in Tahiti in which a helmeted Wright took the win. Overall, Medina has a 5-4 record against Wright.

Watch: Ferreira Stomps Near-Impossible Backside Air Reverse
1:15
Italo Ferreira puts on a jaw-dropping performance on his way to the Round of 16 at the Rip Curl Rottnest Search presented by Corona.

Meanwhile, Ferreira will be going up against Adriano de Souza. Surprisingly, De Souza is undefeated on the CT against Ferreira. They met in the Seeding Round a few days ago, and in a low scoring affair De Souza took the win. He also beat Ferreira at the 2019 Tahiti Pro Teahupo'o. Expect Ferreira to turn up the heat and try to change the pattern.

When the contest gets the green light, the first heat will feature Miguel Pupo against Michel Bourez. They're head-to-head record is even at three wins apiece. And for the last heat of the round, Yago Dora has Connor O'Leary in their first CT duel. Both Brazilian surfers are goofy-footers and have been looking especially spicy throughout the event.

The Surfline Forecast is calling for a lot of surf, and a lot of wind, over the next few days. Stay tuned, the Brazilian storm just keeps getting stronger.

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