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Aussies Advance At Wsl's France Pro

Pro surfer JULIAN WILSON poses for a photograph after giving Slovakian tennis player Daniela Hantuchova a surf lesson at Coolum Beach in Sunshine Coast, Australia. Picture: Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Australia's Julian Wilson, Jack Freestone, Wade Carmichael, Adrian Buchan and Ryan Callinan have booked spots in the last-16 of the World Surf League's France Pro.

Callinan beat Brazil's Michael Rodrigues 14.33 to 13 to set up an encounter with Hawaiian Ezekiel Lau, who beat Australia's Owen Wright in the round of 32 in shifty, four to six-metre foot peaks at La Graviere in south-west France.

Wilson and Freestone meet in an all-Australian affair with Freestone looking to reach the quarter-finals of a WSL event for the first time.

Freestone edged out Japan's Kanoa Igarashi 8.56 to 8.33, with Queenslander Wilson brushing past France's Jorgann Couzinet 11.13 to 6.17.

Buchan takes on Brazil's Gabriel Medina after a narrow 8.93 to 8.60 win over American Conner Coffin.

Carmichael (11.93) beat Willian Cardoso (9.70) to set up a meeting with France's Marc Lacomare.

The biggest surprise of the last 32 heats was Leonardo Fioravanti's victory over American great Kelly Slater in a big blow to his hopes of Olympic qualification.

In the women's draw, Sally Fitzgibbons was the only one of four Australians to book a spot in the quarter-finals.

Fitzgibbons surfs against France's Johanne Defay on Tuesday after keeping her world championship hopes alive with victory over New Zealand's Paige Hareb on Monday.

However, Macy Callaghan, Keely Andrew and Nikki Van Dijk are out.

Hawaiian Malia Manuel was too good for Callaghan with Brazilian Tatiana Weston-Webb seeing off Andrew and Van Dijk coming up short against American Caroline Marks.