Brazil’s Adriano de Souza captured his first world surfing championship today at the Banzai Pipeline at Ehukai Beach.

De Souza wrapped up the championship by beating Hawaii’s Mason Ho in the semifinals of the Billabong Pipe Masters. Earlier, Australia’s Mick Fanning the world’s top-ranked surfer, lost his semifinal heat to defending world champion Gabriel Medina of Brazil. At that point, Fanning’s only chance for a fourth world crown was if de Souza lost to Ho.

The two Brazilians, de Souza and Medina, will meet today in the final of the Pipe Masters, the World Surf League’s season finale.

By beating Fanning with a late barrel and a full rotation air, Medina put a lock on the Vans Triple Crown of Surfing series title, which goes to the best surfer among the three season-ending North Shore events — the Hawaiian Pro at Alii Beach Park (won by Australia’s Wade Carmichael), the Vans World Cup of Surfing at Sunset Beach (won by Fanning) and the Pipe Masters.

Medina started the day with a shot at the world title, but was mathematically eliminated when Fanning advanced with a quarterfinal victory over 11-time world champion Kelly Slater.

It’s been a rough week for Fanning, who was the favorite to win it all and who learned of his brother Peter Fanning’s death at age 43 on Wednesday morning. He defeated a lineup of Pipeline superstars — Slater (twice), Hawaii’s Bruce Irons, John John Florence and Jamie O’Brien — before losing to Medina to finish an emotional roller coaster of a year. In the summer, he was attacked by a shark and was not injured.

De Souza avoided elimination when he caught a last-minute wave for a quarterfinal win over Australia’s Josh Kerr. Had he lost that heat, Fanning would have wrapped up the world championship.