Seis Brazilian surfers advanced to the round of 16 of the Gold Coast stage, in Austrália, through the third stop of Circuito Mundial in Surfe (WSL). The victories of Italo Ferreira, Gabriel Medina, Filipe Toledo, Samuel Pupo, Miguel Pupo and Mateus Herdy occurred during Friday night at Brasília time, Saturday morning in Australian territory. The collective performance was solid, although the country saw the eliminations of Yago Dora, João Chianca and Alejo Muniz.
The knockout round was marked by challenging sea conditions and direct confrontations that required tactical precision. Brasil maintained a strong foundation for the remainder of the competition, highlighting the technical performance of the world champions. The heats confirmed the favoritism of experienced names and the rise of new talents from the national elite in 2026.
Filipe Toledo achieves excellent rating and dominates Australian waters
Filipe Toledo was the big name of the round, presenting a technical repertoire far superior to that of his opponents in Snapper Rocks. The Brazilian established control of the heat in the opening minutes, when he found a wave that earned a score of 9.50 from the judges. Ele didn’t slow down and quickly scored an 8.50, totaling 18 points, the highest score of the event so far.
The American Cole Houshmand tried to react with an 8.50 wave, but Toledo’s combination of maneuvers was insurmountable. The Brazilian demonstrated complete adaptation to the Gold Coast point break, where he is seeking his third title in the Australian leg. The victory by 18.00 to 14.87 places Filipe as one of the main candidates for the stage title.
Italo Ferreira scores comeback victory against South African
Olympic champion Italo Ferreira needed patience to reverse an adverse scenario at the beginning of his heat against Luke Thompson. The South African opened the scoring with a score of 6.33 and looked comfortable in the lead in the match. Italo, however, began its reaction with a wave of 5.67, adjusting its positioning on the outside to look for series with greater potential for maneuver.
The turnaround was consolidated with a solid performance that earned 6.83 points, ensuring the necessary tranquility for the end of regulation time. The Potiguar won by 12.50 to 10.66, advancing to the decisive phase. Ele highlighted the importance of remaining calm in round 2 heats, where any mistake could result in early elimination.
Gabriel Medina maintains yellow lycra with dominant performance
Líder from the world rankings, Gabriel Medina entered the water wearing yellow lycra and confirmed his good form this season. The three-time champion faced the Australian Morgan Cibilic and gave the home surfer no chance. With aggressive and aerial edge surfing, Medina scored 8.33 and 7.23, closing the match with 15.56 total points.
Cibilic even found a good wave of 7.50, but failed to try a second high note to threaten the Brazilian. Gabriel celebrated maintaining the lead and the consistency demonstrated since the start of the Australian leg. The result reinforces Medina’s status as the man to beat on the 2026 circuit.
Mateus Herdy surprises favorite and advances for the first time
The big surprise of the round for the Brazilian delegation was Mateus Herdy’s resounding victory over the American Griffin Colapinto. Estreante in the world elite in 2026, Herdy reached the round of 16 for the first time in his career after a gala display. The Brazilian scored 15.33 points, surpassing the 11.66 of Colapinto, who was considered one of the favorites for the stage title.
Abaixo, the main battery data of Herdy and the results of the Brazilians:
- Mateus Herdy obtained the highest score of the match with an 8.33.
- The Brazilian consolidated his classification with a second wave of 7.00 points.
- Griffin Colapinto said goodbye to the stage with a total of 11.66 (7.83 + 3.17).
- Samuel Pupo eliminated compatriot João Chianca 12.53 to 9.00.
- Miguel Pupo advanced by beating Eli Hanneman with 11.60 total points.
- Yago Dora was eliminated by Australian Callum Robson 14.60 to 11.50.
Duelo between brothers Pupo defines place in the quarterfinals
The configuration of the round of 16 clashes in Gold Coast will bring a familiar clash for Brazilian fans. Samuel Pupo and Miguel Pupo will face each other in an elimination heat, ensuring that at least one family representative will be in the quarterfinals. Samuel arrives motivated after winning the classic against João Chumbinho, while Miguel overcame the Hawaiian Eli Hanneman in a heat of few waves.
The elimination of Alejo Muniz to George Pittar ended the participation of one of the tour’s veterans in the stage. Muniz was unable to find waves with potential rating and finished with just 9.00 points against the Australian’s 14.47. Agora, the Brazilian team’s focus is on the six classifieds, who will compete for places in the final stages in the next few days of the competition window.