Maui’s Dusty Payne had plenty in his way Wednesday. There were heavy rain squalls, Sunset Beach’s 6- to 8-foot surf and the world’s top-ranked surfer, Gabriel Medina.

He surfed without a hitch, however, and commanded his heat from start to finish on Day 3 of the Vans World Cup of Surfing.

Payne posted an eight-point ride at the start, which saw him make an incredibly late drop followed up by a few solid arcing turns. He followed it up with another eight-pointer, on which he put on a clinic in rail work.

"I was just looking to go out and try to get two fun waves," Payne said. "And that heat doesn’t mean nothing except for that I progressed through to the next round. So beating Gabriel and that really doesn’t mean much, but it’s always nice to contest with the top dogs."

Medina is only in the event to satisfy a requirement that World Championship Tour surfers compete in two World Qualifying Series events each year.

"Sunset is a fun wave and this year I only did one WQS event and I needed to do one more and I picked Sunset and I am just surfing and having fun," Medina said. "I have a good board under my feet and hopefully I can keep going. No pressure out there. I just want surf."

Medina placed second in the heat and advanced along with Payne.

Also keeping his Triple Crown of Surfing hopes alive was Australia’s Julian Wilson, who placed second at the Reef Hawaiian Pro. Wilson won his heat handily with smart surfing and precision rail work.

"The first event was fun and I want to have a fun event here too, and hopefully keep making some heats" said Wilson, who was the Triple Crown’s rookie of the year in 2010.

"It would mean a lot (to win the Triple Crown). The year I got the rookie (award), I had second at Haleiwa and a third at Sunset and I didn’t get into Pipe, so this year I really want to get it."

Ireland’s Glen Hall posted the event’s only perfect 10. For Hall the score couldn’t have come at a better time. With a minute to go Hall needed a 9.97 to move into advancing position. Hall earned his score by pulling into a wide backside barrel that then bronco-bucked him up and around on the exit. After coming out, Hall did a nice cutback and finished it off with a hard snap on the end section.

"With Sunset you just hold I think. Water was just going everywhere and it was a wild old barrel so I just got in there and held on for everything I had and hooting out and it was fun," Hall said.

New Zealand’s Ricardo Christie posted the days highest combined heat total of a 16.90.