The waves off Brazil were in near-perfect form yesterday, and so was Wai'anae's Melanie Bartels.

Bartels won the Billabong Girls Pro Rio women's surfing contest in barreling 2- to 4-foot waves at Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Bartels defeated former world champion Sofia Mulanovich of Peru in the one-on-one final, 14.64-10.6. It was the second Women's World Tour victory of her career (the first one came at Sunset Beach in 2006).

"It's an amazing feeling, and I'm just overwhelmed right now," said Bartels, 26. "My last win was in 2006 as a wildcard at Sunset, so to be able to come out on top today, in these conditions, is really special. The waves started to deteriorate towards the end, but I was able to grab a couple of scores against Sofia and I was really just surfing my own heat out there and doing my own thing. I was having fun."

Bartels won three heats yesterday — quarterfinals, semifinals and final.

In the semifinals, she defeated current world champion Stephanie Gilmore of Australia in one of the highest-scoring heats in women's professional surfing history.

Bartels had two long barrel rides that received scores of 9.67 and 9.33 for a total of 19.0. Gilmore received a perfect 10 and an 8.5 for a total of 18.5.

"After that semifinal with Steph, I was filled with a lot of confidence," Bartels said. "The waves pumped for that heat and we were trading barrel after barrel. That's the most fun I've had in a heat in a long time."

Gilmore said: "You can't be too disappointed when you lose a heat like that. Mel surfed amazing and deserved that win."

Bartels received $12,000 for the victory, and climbed from No. 14 to No. 6 on the 2008 Women's World Tour. The contest was the fourth of eight stops on the 2008 tour.

Gilmore is currently ranked No. 1, and Mulanovich is No. 2.

Megan Abubo of Waialua was eliminated earlier in the week, and is ranked No. 11.

The next event is the Beachley Classic, Oct. 9 to 14 at Sydney, Australia.