Johnie Berntsson swept all three of his opening-day matches to lead the Open fleet after day one of the 2026 GKSS Match Cup Sweden, the 32nd edition of one of match racing's most celebrated events, held on the Marstrand fjord in near-ideal Scandinavian summer conditions.
Australia's Cole Tapper and his Kairos Racing team, crewed by Jack Frewin, Ollie Gilmour and Hamish Vass, made a solid start with two wins from three matches. France's Ange Delerce, making his debut at the event, matched that tally.
Defending 2024 champion Chris Poole (USA) and his Riptide Racing team had a quieter day, taking one win from three races, though the qualifying rounds still have plenty of racing to run. Poole's crew includes Luke Payne, Mal Parker and 2009 World Match Racing Champion Adam Minoprio. Defending 2025 champion Jeppe Borch (DEN) was not scheduled to race until day two.
"It is great to be back here in Marstrand," Borch said ahead of his first races. "We love racing here and while it looks like we may have some windy conditions this week, we are looking forward to the challenge of defending our title."
The Match Cup Sweden has been part of the World Match Racing Tour since 2000, drawing thousands of spectators to the island of Marstrand each year.
The Nordea Women's Trophy got underway simultaneously with eight international crews. France's Pauline Courtois and Sweden's Anna Östling set the early pace with three wins each from four races. Sweden's Martina Carlsson and Beyond Racing were the day's other notable performers, finishing unbeaten from two starts.
"Marstrand is a very special place for us," said Carlsson. "There is always such a huge crowd and so many Swedish flags, which really encourages us. We enjoy sailing in stronger breeze and, after finishing fourth last year, we're definitely aiming for the podium this week."
Two American teams are making their Nordea Women's Trophy debuts: Lindsey Baab's Fog Racing from San Francisco and Caroline Bayless' Team Something Chill from Annapolis. Both crews had only a single light-air practice session before facing stronger winds and the unfamiliar FarEast 28 keelboats on race day.
Fog Racing crew member Kate Shiber said: "Today was challenging because we're still learning the FarEast 28 and sailing with asymmetric spinnakers. Every race taught us something, especially about our timing and teamwork. It's an incredible venue and we're thrilled to have been invited."
Round robin racing resumes from 09:30 local time on Tuesday, with qualifying continuing through Saturday before the knockout finals begin.
Open fleet entry list:
🇺🇸 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
