HIGH WINDS HALT MARSTRAND SHOWDOWN AS QUARTERFINALS HANG IN BALANCE
MARSTRAND, Sweden (July 2, 2026) — A strong weather front sweeping across Sweden’s west coast brought racing to an abrupt halt Thursday at the 2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden and Nordea Women’s Trophy, leaving the quarterfinal battles poised as high winds forced officials to suspend competition.
After three days of spectacular sailing in near-perfect midsummer conditions, Marstrand showed its more formidable side as strengthening winds made racing unsafe, ending play before the Open division quarterfinals could be completed.
Before the weather intervened, the six remaining Open teams had begun their first-to-three-point quarterfinal series, with three coveted semifinal places up for grabs alongside top qualifier Oscar Engström of Sweden, who has already secured direct passage to the final four by winning the round robin stage.
Sweden’s seven-time Match Cup champion Björn Hansen and France’s Ange Delerce are locked at one victory apiece after an evenly fought opening race.
The day’s biggest comeback came in the all-important matchup between Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson and Australia’s Cole Tapper.
Berntsson looked destined for victory after taking the opening two races and moving within one point of the semifinals. But Tapper and the Kairos Racing crew refused to surrender, mounting a spirited comeback by winning the next two races to level the series at 2-2 before racing was abandoned for the day.
The final quarterfinal also remains finely balanced. American skipper Chris Poole and Riptide Racing, champions in 2024, hold a narrow 2-1 advantage over defending 2025 winner Jeppe Borch of Denmark in a clash featuring two recent Match Cup Sweden champions determined to keep their title ambitions alive.
Women’s Semifinal Lineup Confirmed
The Nordea Women’s Trophy quarterfinals were completed before the deteriorating conditions arrived, confirming the final four semifinal lineup. Sweden’s Anna Östling and Wings Sailing advanced with a convincing 3-1 victory over American skipper Caroline Bayless/ Team Something Chill.
Defending champion Pauline Courtois and the Match in Pink Team of France continued their title defence in commanding fashion, sweeping compatriot Julia D’Amodio and Shark Caviar Racing 3-0. Denmark’s Lea Vogelius and WOW Racing secured the remaining semifinal place with a 3-1 victory over the Netherlands’ Julia Aartsen and Team Out of the Box.
The trio now joins undefeated top seed Martina Carlsson and Beyond Racing, whose flawless 7-0 round robin performance earned the Swedish team an automatic berth in the semifinals.
Tough Conditions Still to Come
Although the worst of the cold front is expected to clear overnight, strong winds are forecast to continue across Marstrand on Friday.
With semifinal places still on the line in the Open division and the Women’s semifinals ready to begin, the event enters its decisive stages with every race to count.
Racing is scheduled to resume Friday morning, weather permitting.
For full results, see www.matchracingresults.com
2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden Entries:
🇺🇸 Chris Poole, USA, Riptide Racing
Crew: Luke Payne, Mal Parker, Adam Minoprio
🇸🇪 Johnie Berntsson, SWE, Berntsson Sailing Team
Crew: Herman Andersson, Patrik Sturesson, Anton Karlsson
🇦🇺 Cole Tapper, AUS, Kairos Racing
Crew: Jack Frewin, Ollie Gilmour, Hamish Vass
🇫🇷 Ian Garreta, FRA, Med Racing
Crew: Thibaut Demai, Pierre Garreta, Amandine Le Van Jacob, Calixte Benoit
🇨🇭 Eric Monnin, SUI, Swiss Match Racing Team
Crew: Cyril Schüpbach, Ute Monnin-Wagner, Simon Brúgger
🇸🇪 Bjorn Hansen, SWE, Hansen Sailing Team
Crew: Nils Bjerkås, Oskar Ljung, Emil Forsgren
🇫🇷 Ange Delerce, FRA, 2003_Sailing Team
Crew: Julia D’Amodio, Thomas Flachon,, Jean Picard, Sylvestre De Giuli Morghen
🇩🇰 Jeppe Borch, DEN, Borch Match Racing
Crew: Sebastian Olsen, Thor Malthe Andersen, Matias Rossing
🇸🇪 Oscar Engström, SWE, Liros Racing
Crew: Rasmus Alnebeck. Emil Wolfgang. Filip Karlsson
🇫🇷 Aurélien Pierroz, FRA, Match in Black
Crew: Sébastien Riot, Kenza Coutard, Camille Pfaff, Aristide Delin
2026 NORDEA Women’s Trophy Entries:
🇫🇷 Pauline Courtois, FRA Match in Pink by Normandy Elite Team
Crew: Maelenn Lemaitre, Louise Acker , Laurane Mettraux, Thea Khelif
🇸🇪 Anna Östling, SWE WINGS – SWE
Anna Holmdahl White, Linnéa Wennergren , Svea Sahlin, Annika Carlunger
🇩🇰 Lea Vogelius, DEN WOW Racing
Joan Vestergaard Hansen, Josefine Boel Rasmussen , Lærke Nørgård, Julia Toroi
🇳🇱 Julia Aartsen, NED Team Out of the Box
Iris van Gerrevink , Eva Asbeek Brusse, Nerine Usman, Ismene Usman
🇸🇪 Martina Carlsson, SWE Beyond Racing
Klara Utterström, Amanda Ljunggren, Hanna Gaskell-Brown, Hedvig Hedström
🇫🇷 Julia D’Amodio, FRA Shark Caviar Racing
Roxane Perrot, Clara Bayol, Alice Chiappori, Lilou Ruat
🇺🇸 Lindsey Baab, USA, Fog Racing
Kate Shiber, Elena VandenBerg, Helen Lord, Sally Mace
🇺🇸 Caroline Bayless, USA, Team Something Chill
Katherine McNamara, Nora Ong, Emily Mueller, Caroline Keeffe-Jones
For more updates and information on the Women’s World Match Racing Tour and event documents, visit womenswmrt.com and follow us on social media at Facebook (@womenswmrt), Instagram(@womenswmrt) and X (Twitter) (@womenswmrt)
Women’s World Match Racing Tour 2026:
Stage 1 – KDY Women’s Match Race, Royal Danish Yacht Club, Rungsted, Denmark, 7-10 May - DS 37
Stage 2 – Santa Maria Cup, Eastport Yacht Club, Annapolis, USA, 3-6 June - J/22
Stage 3 – Nordea Womens Trophy – Match Cup Sweden, Marstrand, Sweden, 29 June – 4 July - Fareast 28R
Stage 5 – WWMRT FINAL AMAALA, Saudi Arabia, TBC November - J/70
About Women’s World Match Racing Tour
The Women’s World Match Racing Tour was launched in 2022 to continue the hugely successful legacy of the WIM Series (Women’s International Match Racing Series) providing a global match racing series for female sailors. The name of the series was re-launched as the Women’s World Match Racing Tour with its continued mission to expand and strengthen global match racing and promote opportunities for competitive women’s sailing at every level. The Women’s World Match Racing Tour is the world’s first and only professional sailing series for women providing a valuable pathway for aspiring female world champions in the sport of sailing. womenswmrt.com
womenswmrt.com
