Molly Picklum has continued her strong start to the World Surf League season, with the top-ranked Australian booking a quarter-final berth at the Sunset Beach competition in Hawaii.

The defending champion at Sunset, Picklum reached the final at last week’s Pipe Pro, earning the first ever perfect score of 10.00 by a woman at the famous North Shore break.

As the women’s competition got under way on Tuesday (Wednesday AEDT), the world No.2 took down Victoria’s India Robinson in the round of 16.

The NSW surfer had a slow start to the heat with an early error, throwing away priority, but the 21-year-old found her groove as the waves rolled through.

She posted a 7.50 and in the dying seconds a 7.17 on her way to an impressive total of 14.67.

Robinson scored a late 6.50 to finish with 11.00.

Paris Olympian Picklum said being defending champion added to her belief about what she could achieve at Sunset.

“(It) just adds another story in your brain. It’s not pressure but just more noise in your head,” Picklum said.

“It’s all good - it means that I can surf this wave and I have the ability to take it out, so let’s do it again.”

Picklum was one of five Australian women to safely advance to the round of 16, with all but Sophie McCulloch avoiding the elimination round.

Queenslander McCulloch finished last in her sudden-death heat, with Hawaiian Gabriela Bryan and American teenager Sawyer Lindblad moving through to the last 16.

Sally Fitzgibbons next takes on young local star Bettylou Sakura Johnson, while Tyler Wright faces Isabella Nichols in an all-Australian round of 16 battle.

The men’s competition is also up to the quarter-final stage with Australians Jack Robinson, Liam O’Brien and Ryan Callinan still in contention.