Surfing: Fitzgibbons wins Rip Curl Pro

Australian surfer Sally Fitzgibbons has won back-to-back Rip Curl Pro titles, beating four-time world champion Stephanie Gilmore in the final today.

NSW surfer Fitzgibbons, 21, secured victory in the iconic event at Victoria's Bells Beach for her second title there after winning in 2011.

Her 7.33 score in the middle of a final which was all tactics and nervous energy proved pivotal, as did an uncharacteristic mistake from Gilmore.

The 24-year-old fell off perhaps the best wave of the final, and was unable to outscore Fitzgibbons on the set of waves that counted.

As Fitzgibbons landed her best score, Gilmore could only manage a 6.5 on a slightly lesser wave and was unable to find a suitable wave late in the heat to pinch a late victory.

Fitzgibbons beat American rookie Lakey Peterson in the quarter-final on Saturday morning.

Then the South Coast surfer downed reigning world champion Carissa Moore in the semi to give herself a chance at back-to-back Bells titles.

Gilmore had won both her quarter-final and semi-final in style, beating Hawaiian Malia Manuel and northern NSW teenager Tyler Wright.

Gilmore posted high-scoring 9.77 rides in both - and bravely waited until the last possible wave before getting the score she needed to beat Wright in a semi-final which was nearly as tactical as the final.

-AAP