NEWCASTLE'S Ryan Callinan and fellow Australian surfers Ethan Ewing, Liam O'Brien, Tyler Wright have been given further time to reflect on their successful start at the World Surf League's Rio Pro, after competition was postponed for day two.
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Inconsistent conditions at Saquarema's Praia de Itauna forced organisers to call a lay-day for Saturday, putting the brakes on the men's and women's elimination rounds.
"We went on hold several times this morning to monitor the conditions and see if there were any waves with scoring potential. Unfortunately, there were not, so we called the event off for the day. We will come back tomorrow morning to try again," the WSL official Renato Hickel said.
Callinan was among those who moved straight into the bracket stage after winning heats in Brazil on Friday.
The Merewether goofy footer accounted for countryman Jack Robinson and Hawaii's Barron Mamiya. He scored 13.44.
There was also a strong start for O'Brien, who stunned world No.1 Griffin Colapinto in heat four of the men's section to progress.
Connor O'Leary, Jack Robinson and Callum Robson all face elimination heats when competition re-starts.
In the women's draw Wright, returning to the scene of her 2017 Rio Pro victory, eased into the quarter-finals with victory over the USA's Caitlin Simmers and Johanne Defay of France.
The two-time world champion left nothing to chance, earning the highest single-wave score of the opening round with a 7.17.
Australia's No.4-ranked Molly Picklum faces an elimination heat against Defay, while eight-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore will be missing from the last eight after losing out to rising star Bettylou Sakura Johnson.
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