Mick Fanning
Mick Fanning of Australia speaks during a news conference in Sydney, Australia July 21, 2015, after he was attacked by a shark during the finals of the J-Bay Open on Sunday in Jeffrey's Bay, South Africa. REUTERS/David Gray

Australian surfer Mick Fanning failed to claim the top spot of the World Surf League rankings after an early exit at the Billabong Pro in Tahiti. Fanning, who survived a shark attack last month at Jeffrey’s Bay event in South Africa, was beaten by wildcard Aritz Aranburu, spoiling the Aussie surfer’s bid for a fourth world title.

Aranburu, who only entered the event at the iconic Teahupo’o reef break after Australia’s Matt Banting withdrew with injury, made the most of his chances as he pulled off the third round upset against Fanning. After being knocked out in the competition, the 34-year-old Fanning failed to reach the No. 1 spot in the world rankings of the surf league, falling behind Brazilian surfer Adriano De Souza, who was also eliminated in the heat at the early stage of the event.

According to WSL’s official website, Fanning is at the No. 2 spot with 32,950 points behind De Souza, who tops with 33,200 points. Fellow Australian surfers Julian Wilson and Owen Wright sit at third and fifth place respectively, while Brazil’s Felipe Toledo holds the fourth spot.

Fanning only managed to score 5.17 and 1.50 as the tide rolled in and the four-foot swell dropped off, while Aranburu flew to an early advantage with back-to-back wave scores of 7.00 and 8.17. The Spaniard’s combined score of 15.17 was enough to drop Fanning out of contention, with the latter struggling to find any fluency.

“Everything went my way because I got those two waves and there wasn’t much other scoring potential. This contest is a blessing and I’m just trying to make heats and enjoy it as much as I can,” Aranburu said, The Australian reported.

Meanwhile, defending champion Gabriel Medina and Hawaiian John John Florence stole the show at the third day of the Billabong Pro. Medina and Florence produced the heat of the day before the world champ claimed victory. Medina displayed one of the best rides of the contest with a 9.73 out of 10 score.

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