Kelly Slater's bid to win back-to-back events has come crashing down after he was handed a penalty interference at Sunset Beach in Hawaii.
World No.1 Kelly Slater and two-time world champion John John Florence have made shock round-three exits in a huge day of upsets at the WSL event at Sunset Beach in Hawaii.
Australians Jack Robinson and Ethan Ewing secured spots in the quarter-finals, but it was a day of carnage for a host of the world's top surfers.
Slater started the event with the No.1 ranking after winning the season-opening leg at Pipeline earlier this month.
But the 50-year-old's bid to win back-to-back events came crashing down on Thursday when he was handed a priority interference in his round-three heat against South African Matthew McGillivray.
With the round-three heats overlapping, Slater took off on a wave when Florence had the priority in the dying moments of the Hawaiian's match-up against Jake Marshall.
Slater pulled out immediately once he realised Florence was taking the wave, but the damage was already done and the judges handed him a priority interference that doomed his chances of winning.
"By the time I had committed to my bottom turn, I was like 'Oh shoot, I'm under John's line'," Kelly told the WSL broadcast.
"He wasn't technically up and riding yet when he crossed my line.
"I don't think that I affected John's wave in any way. I don't think he got up until he passed me.
"But the rule is the rule and we have to play by them."
The result further entrenched Slater's dislike for Sunset Beach.
"Look, I obviously don't love Sunset," he said.
"I don't like the wave, I don't like the crowd out here, everyone is on a 10-foot board.
"I don't put the time in. I don't respect the wave and it doesn't respect me back. Unless I change, it's not going to change."
Florence started as hot favourite in his heat against Championship Tour rookie Marshall.
But it was Marshall who came up with the goods when it mattered most, posting a two-wave score of 13.93 to pip Florence (13.27).
Conner Coffin, Italo Ferreira, Griffin Colapinto, Frederico Morais and Australian Morgan Cibilic were among other big names to crash out in round three.
Last year's Championship Tour runner-up Filipe Toledo was then knocked out by rising Australian star Ewing in a high-quality round of 16 encounter.
Ewing posted a 9.67 ride on the way to a two-wave total of 18.24, with the score enough to edge out Toledo (16.50).
"Stoked to have a heat with him and he's beaten me a lot more so it felt good to get one back on him," Ewing said.
