French hopes for Match Racing World Championship at WMRT Final Shenzhen

French newcomers to the WMRT Final are up against 2022 Match Racing World Champion Nick Egnot-Johnson and seven-time Match Racing World Champion Ian Williams. The 2024 World Match Racing Tour Final in Shenzhen showcased a day of intense racing, with gusty winds and razor-close finishes defining the quarter- and semi-final races. The day opened with the quarter-finals, which saw France’s Ian Garreta / MM Match, France’s Aurélien Pierroz / Match Again by Normandy Elite Team, New Zealand’s Nick Egnot-Johnson / KNOTS Racing, and Britain’s Ian Williams / Pindar by Manusport Logistics advance into the semi-final stage.

The quarter-final fleet was met with a northerly 12-18 knots, gusting into the 20s, and blue skies in Shenzhen, which made for incredibly tight racing. Each match saw several lead changes, intense pre-start duels, and comebacks until the finish line.

French newcomer to the WMRT Final Ian Garreta, the top seed from the round-robin stage, was matched against Australia’s Cole Tapper / CYCA in the first to three quarter-finals series, which went the full five races. The decider was a winner-takes-all battle, with Garreta emerging victorious to secure a semi-final spot against New Zealand’s Nick Egnot-Johnson.

Reflecting on his quarter-final win, Garreta commented, “It was a bit difficult to stay focused to gain the third point. The wind shifts were huge, but we managed to stay calm and take it one race at a time. We’re very happy to be in the semis. Now it’s a new stage, and we’ll reset without too much pressure to see what we can do.”

Egnot-Johnson faced Sweden’s Johnie Berntsson / Berntsson Sailing Team in a quarter-final filled with races so close they often finished within a meter of each other. The Kiwi skipper advanced with a 3-1 score and praised the high level of competition, noting, “It got really close at the bottom mark – the gusts made timing tricky. We just have to keep chipping away and stay on our toes in these conditions.”

The second French team in the quarter-finals, led by Aurélien Pierroz, saw victory over Switzerland’s Eric Monnin / Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team. The deciding race saw Monnin carrying a penalty that allowed Pierroz to make a late pass and clinch the series. “It was really tight racing,” said Pierroz. “We are super happy to advance. This is our first World Match Racing Tour Final as a team, so I’m very proud of what we’ve achieved so far.”

In a quarter-final rematch from last year, Ian Williams faced USA’s Chris Poole / Riptide Racing. Williams took the first two races before Poole fought back to level the series at 2-2. Williams ultimately prevailed in the final race to advance to the semi-finals against Pierroz.

“When we were two up, maybe we relaxed too much,” Williams admitted. “Chris did a great job coming back to square it up, but we’re pleased to get through. We’ve never raced Pierroz before this event, but he’s beaten us twice already this week. We’re hoping it’s payback time.”

The course’s tricky conditions carried into the semi-finals, where both pairs ended the day with a 1-1 score after two races.  As Garreta put it, “Tomorrow will be tough, but we’re ready for it. We still have two matches to win, and we’ll give it our all.”

Tomorrow, the 2024 World Match Racing Tour Shenzhen Boa’an Final will crown a new Match Racing World champion. The semi-finals continue tomorrow to see who will advance to the finals.