Morgan Cibilic rises to world No.5 with runner-up effort at Rottnest Island

The Merewether Surfboard Club star beat Queensland wildcard and close friend Liam O'Brien 10.67 to 8.33 in the semi-finals before losing to two-time world champion Gabriel Medina 15.5 to 7.87 in the Rottnest Search decider at Strickland Bay in Western Australia.

The result lifted the 21-year-old from 11th to fifth on the world rankings at the halfway point of his first CT season.

Cibilic came from relative obscurity with a stunning run on the second half of the qualifying series in 2019 to narrowly make the 34-man elite tour.

Now after five events, Cibilic is inside the all-important top five. If he keeps his spot at season's end, Cibilic will compete in a five-man series at Lower Trestles to decide the world champion under a new format this year.

"I don't know, I'm not really thinking about it too much," Cibilic said of making the top five. "It's a pretty huge goal I guess, but I guess it's in reach now, so we'll take it one step at a time and hopefully keep bagging some results in the next couple of events, so that's my goal from now I guess."

Cibilic was a semi-finalist at Newcastle and quarter-finalist at North Narrabeen to already announce himself on the world stage. He said "it felt unbelievable" to go a step further and make a final.

"I said before, if you had have asked me last year where I'd be and if I'd make a final, I would have said that you were trippin'," he said. "So I'm over the moon and it's just pretty cool to get absolutely pumping waves for finals day as well. It was pretty unbelievable out there."

Goofy-footer Medina landed the first blow of the final, carving out three turns on his forehand for a 7.0 nine minutes into the 40-minute contest.

Nursing cut feet from a brush with rocks at the end of his semi-final, Cibilic hit back two minutes later, putting in a vertical first snap and two more turns on his backhand for a 7.27, despite debate over whether he rode out cleanly at the finish.

Medina led 8.0 to 7.87 as both surfers chased a decisive back-up score. The Brazilian was first to strike again, stringing together two big frontside turns and a third carve to finish for an 8.5 at the halfway point.

It left Cibilic trailling 15.5 to 7.87 and needing an 8.24. He waited patiently with priority on the outside as Medina chased inside opportunities, but the right wave didn't arrive. At the final siren, Cibilic had caught just three waves to Medina's 11.

The event was the last of four on the Australian leg. Merewether's Ryan Callinan went from eighth to 10^th with a 17^th place.

EARLIER: Merewether Surfboard Club's Morgan Cibilic has edged out training partner and mate Liam O'Brien to make his first final on the championship tour on Tuesday.

In his rookie CT season, Cibilic defeated injury replacement wildcard O'Brien 10.67 to 8.33 in their semi-final at the Rottnest Search at Strickland Bay. He will face two-time world champion Gabriel Medina, who has beaten Cibilic three times this year, in the decider. Medina downed reigning world champion and fellow Brazilian Italo Ferreira in the other semi.

"It feels amazing," Cibilic said of making the final.

"That heat was really, really tricky. That backside out there, you don't realise how fast the waves are until you get your first pump in.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty psyched with that one. It was a pretty scrappy heat between me and LOB, but hopefully I can put a few together in the final and we'll see. I'm so psyched though."

Cibilic suffered cut feet at the end of the heat when hitting the rocks but he said he was "all good and ready to rumble".

Both surfers fell heavily on waves early in the 35-minute heat before Cibilic earned a 3.67 from one big turn to lead 4.67 to 2.33 after 14 minutes.

Cibilic, the world No.11 before the fifth event on tour, then peeled off three quality turns on his backhand on an inside wave under priority to get a 4.5.

Queenslander O'Brien, in his first CT event, needed a 5.84 before a frontside wrap and snap for a 4.6 with 10 minutes to go left him requiring a 3.57.

Cibilic went further ahead with three big moves on his backhand for a 6.17 with eight minutes left.

O'Brien needed a 6.08 and he was unable to put together a complete ride. His last chance, in the final 15 seconds, finished with a fall and produced a 3.73.

Merewether clubmate Ryan Callinan was most recent finalist from Newcastle on the CT. He made the 2018 France Pro decider as a wildcard and lost to Julian Wilson.

Before Callinan, Merewether's Luke Egan was the most recent Novocastrian on tour. He won the last of his three contest titles in 2004 in Spain.

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