Ryan Callinan led Gabriel Medina at the final siren but was again edged out by the three-time world champion in a thrilling goofy-foot clash at the El Salvador Pro.
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Callinan lost 16.17 to 15.0 in the round of 16 heat and remained 15th on the Championship Tour live standings ahead of the quarter-finals at Punta Roca.
The Merewether surfer, who was second in his first heat, beat countryman Liam O'Brien 14.27 to 11.23 in the elimination round with opening scores of 8.17 and 6.1. It set up the clash with Medina, who extended his winning record over Callinan on tour to 8-1.
However, it was far from easy for the Brazilian, who trailed 15.0 to 14.5 in the backhand battle as time ran out in the bumpy four to six-foot waves.
Medina's score from a ride with two and a half minutes left had not dropped, and Callinan's final wave finished after the siren. Medina's came in as a 7.67, backing up his mid-heat 8.5, while Callinan was short of the 8.17 he then needed, getting a 6.4.
The win lifted Medina five spots to seventh on the live ladder. Two events, in Brazil and Fiji, left after El Salvador in the race for spots in the top-five world title finals.
Central Coast star Molly Picklum, the women's world No.3, lost in the semis to Gabriela Bryan.
Craig Kerry
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
Craig Kerry is a sports reporter for the Newcastle Herald.
