The frantic race to secure a finals berth on the World Surf League tour is set to come down to the wire, with Australians Tyler Wright and Callum Robson needing a big result at the Tahiti Pro to sneak in.
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Only the top five men and women's surfers will qualify for the world title showdown at Lower Trestles in California next month.
In the women's draw, only world No.1 Carissa Moore and world No.2 Johanne Defay have locked in their spot for the WSL finals.
Seven-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore currently sits in fourth spot, and even a modest result in Tahiti might be enough to see her stay in the top five.
But the same can't be said for Wright, who needs to pull out all stops in order to secure her finals berth.
Wright has been in hot form this year, winning at Bells Beach, finishing runner-up at J-Bay, and snaring a third-placing at Pipeline.
But a horror run of bad luck has seen her tumble down to seventh in the rankings.
Wright was forced to pull out of G-Land in Indonesia after contracting COVID-19, and a slow recovery from the virus meant she missed the El Salvador Pro.
A visa issue resulted in her missing the Rio Pro in Brazil, but a strong showing in Tahiti could see her sneak into the finals.
The women's Championship Tour hasn't held an event at Teahupo'o since 2006, and Defay said she is looking forward to the event.
"I haven't spent much time here and am enjoying the discovery aspect of being here," she said.
On the men's side of the draw, world No.1 Filipe Toledo and Australian Jack Robinson have already secured their spots.
But the Australian duo of world No.7 Callum Robson and world No.9 Connor O'Leary will need to produce standout displays at Teahupo'o in order to leapfrog their way into a top-five position.
Fellow Australian Ethan Ewing, who won J-Bay last month, sits third in the world and is a good chance to secure his spot.
"There are big ramifications for the Final 5 at this event," Ewing said ahead of the Tahiti Pro, which runs from Friday.
"But I just want to focus on continuing my form from J-Bay with another big result here and try to learn as much as I can on a wave that I haven't spent a lot of time at.
"I've been here for over a week now and feel like I'm in a good space, so I'm excited to get the competition underway."
The title hopes of two-time world champion John John Florence are over after he was forced to pull out due to a lingering knee injury.
Brazilian Gabriel Medina has also pulled out with a knee injury.
Australian Associated Press
