Japan's Igarashi, who won a silver medal at Tokyo 2020, achieved a two-wave score of 7.67 to see off Australia's Owen Wright in the round of 32.

Wright struggled to get going, scoring just 5.63, and was consigned to defeat when Igarashi was able to stylishly backdoor a wave.

Fellow Australian Jack Robinson, who earned the best score of the day when men's competition began on Saturday (January 29), was another round-of-32 casualty, knocked out by Brazilian Joao Chianca.

Olympic champion Italo Ferreira - also Brazilian - American surfing icon Kelly Slater, South Africa's Jordy Smith and Hawaiians John John Florence, Seth Moniz and Barron Mamiya were among the others to advance to the round of 16.

Florence's score of 14.57 was the best of the round, but promptly bettered by Slater in the first round-of-16 heat.

With time set to expire and Slater 2.00 points back versus Mamiya, Slater dropped into a tube and demonstrated why many consider him the greatest surfer of all time, emerging unscathed several seconds later for 9.23 points and a total of 17.23.

Igarashi beat the Italian Leonardo Fioravanti in the next heat, but Ferreira lost an all-Brazilian contest against Miguel Pupo.

It was a great day for the Pupo family as Samuel, who has been showing signs of getting to grips with Pipeline, later knocked out Smith.

Florence, Moniz, Brazil's Caio Ibelli and Lucca Mesinas from Peru complete the quarter-final line-up.