New Zealand’s Ricardo Christie and Australia’s Jack Freestone can breathe a tiny bit easier.

Both of them are trying to qualify for the World Surf League’s 2019 championship tour and they came up with the biggest scores Wednesday in the Hawaiian Pro to move the meter in the right direction.

Early exits from the qualifying series contest at Haleiwa’s Alii Beach Park could have spelled doom. Instead, Christie posted an 8.93 ride in his second-round heat victory to advance to the third round of the contest, which is the first leg of the Vans Triple Crown. Freestone also won his heat and moved on with a powerful performance that included an 8.83 wave.

Christie is No. 14 on the qualifying series and Freestone is No. 16. Both are trying to get into the top 10, which is the magic number to get on the top tour.

“The wave just kind of opened up and (I got off to) a solid start,” Christie said. “I’m just trying to get the best waves I can find so I can have some fun. That’s all I was thinking.”

With an 8.67 ride and a heat win, Italy’s Leonardo Fioravanti is also doing what he can to qualify for the championship tour. He sits at No. 11 on the QS.

Hawaii’s Dusty Payne, Finn McGill, Barron Mamiya and Benji Brand won their heats Wednesday, and Torrey Meister, Kiron Jabour and Mason Ho were the Hawaii surfers who placed second in the four-man heats and got through to the third round.

“I paddled out kind of nervous, just wanted to surf my best,” McGill said. “I felt comfortable because I was at home and it’s really good out … it ups your surfing. Honestly, it’s not who’s in your heat, it’s kind of you versus Haleiwa. It’s a tricky wave and you just have to find the wave and power through it.”

If contest organizers are greeted with the right conditions today, as expected, they will green-light an 8 a.m. start.

The top seeds enter the water for the first time today, including Brazil’s Filipe Toledo, the WSL’s third-ranked surfer and the defending Hawaiian Pro champion.

Among the other top seeds hitting the water today are Griffin Colapinto of San Clemente, Calif., who is the defending Triple Crown champion, and Hawaii’s Seth Moniz, Ezekiel Lau and Sebastian Zietz.

Hawaii’s Noa Mizuno, Makai McNamara, Joshua Moniz and Keanu Asing were eliminated in second-round heats Wednesday.

The Hawaiian Pro needs two more days of surfing to wrap up the competition. The waiting period ends Nov. 24.