Medina lit up Merewether Beach on Saturday as he made a full airborne rotation to set up an all-Brazilian final of the Newcastle Cup against reigning world champion Italo Ferreira.

The moment of the semi-finals led to two-time world champion Medina posting a 9.70 on his way to a dominant two-wave score of 15.77.

Cibilic, the 20-year-old tour rookie who knocked out world No.1 John John Florence on Thursday, responded by riding a right-hand barrel on his home break but his 14.07 score just wasn't enough to get over Medina.

It's the Brazilian's second final in as many events this year after finishing runner-up to Florence in the season-opening Pipe Masters in December.

Despite the loss, Australian young gun Cibilic will head to the next stop on the world tour at Narrabeen full of confidence having made light of a broken toe on his way to a career-best finish.

"Over the moon," Cibilic said on the WSL broadcast.

"I never would have imagined going this far in a CT (event), let alone my second one."

Earlier in the day, Cibilic booked his semi-final spot by eliminating another hometown surfer in Ryan Callinan.

Needing a 4.88 to take the lead, Callinan came agonisingly short, posting a 4.87 to leave both surfers level on 10.37 in the quarter-final.

Cibilic advanced to the last four having posted the highest-scoring single ride of the heat, a 5.70.

Ferreira pulled out a big aerial move as he defeated Filipe Toledo in the other semi-final.

In the all-Brazilian clash, Ferreira's eye-catching moves couldn't be matched by Toledo with the 2019 world champion posting a 16.10 two-wave score to Toledo's 11.57.

Australian Associated Press