QS warrior Jesse Mendes' emotions were on full display Saturday at the Billabong Pro Cascais, as he absorbed his big jump closer to his dreams. The Brazilian surfer arrived in Portugal ranked No. 44 on the Qualifying Series, far from the required No. 10 or better to make the Championship Tour in 2017.
But with incredible grit -- and impressive airs -- Mendes made it to the top, winning the contest and a whopping 10,000 QS points with it. He'll go on to compete at the Triple Crown in Hawaii now ranked No. 10.