Underdog Aussie aces Slater in Tahiti Buchan on his second scoring ride of the final, which scored 9.27 and clinched the event. Picture: ASP AUSTRALIAN Adrian "Ace" Buchan landed a critical air drop into the tube to win the final of the Billabong Pro against American Kelly Slater in Tahiti today. Buchan, who has been on the pro tour since 2006, had not even made a final since he won the Quiksilver Pro France in 2008. Slater, on the other hand, had previously made the final at Tahiti four times, and won every time. Buchan, surfing on his forehand, opened the action with an intense drop into a six-foot wave that earned him a 9.67. "I was weightless for a second," he said later. I was thinking, 'fins, please catch!' They did, and I just skipped under it. But it was only half the job. Indeed it was. Slater fought back with a 9.1 - a highline tube that was technically impressive but not as fast or spectacular as most other tube rides on the day. Then Buchan paddled into a wave from behind the peak, subtly delayed his bottom turn, and drove through one of the deepest barrels of the event, earning a 9.27 and pulling out with an exuberant leap over the back of the wave. Slater picked off one of the few rights of the event, earning 8.8, but he needed an almost perfect 10 to do the job, and ran out of time. Buchan fought back tears as he thanked the family with whom he stays every year in Tahiti, and said the trophy would stay in their house. The win was no fluke. Buchan had previously eliminated highly rated Hawaiian John Florence in the quarter-finals after Florence started with a perfect 10. Then he took down former world champion Mick Fanning in the semis. The win slingshots Buchan from 18th to 10th in the world title rankings. Slater's second puts him clear ahead of Fanning and defending world champion Joel Parkinson. There are four events left on the tour.