A tightly contested opening day of racing set the tone for the 2026 Macao Match Cup, the first event on the 2026 World Match Racing Tour calendar, held on the Maliuzhou Waterway in Macao. Twelve elite international teams are competing, including New Zealand's Nick Egnot-Johnson, a former Match Racing World Champion, each with ambitions on the 2026 world title.
Racing got underway mid-morning in light winds that built gradually through the session. France's Aurélien Pierroz and his Match Again by NET crew claimed the first win of the tour season, defeating Australia's Zac West and the Sail+ Racing team.
The day brought early frustration for Cole Tapper, the Australian skipper ranked number two in the world and the top-seeded competitor for the Macao event. On his first visit to Macao, Tapper was beaten in his opening race by American Christian Prendergast, who was likewise making his debut appearance at the venue.
For much of the day the breeze was light but consistent, with one exception. The match between France's Ian Garreta and Denmark's Jeppe Borch was disrupted by a drop in wind pressure that made conditions difficult for both crews, though Garreta came away with the victory.
At the close of the opening round robin stage, Garreta and Sweden's Oscar Engström shared the lead on four wins apiece. Engström was positive about how the day had gone.
"It was definitely a decent first day for us," said Engström. "We're happy with the result – the conditions were good out there but we had a little bit of everything. When it became very light, it was all about switching those slow feet to fast feet to keep the boat going fast in the light air."
Garreta matched that four-win tally, though he carried one loss from the final race of the day.
"Unfortunately, Johnie [Berntsson] was better on that race, but overall a great day for us," said Garreta. "I think we are in a good position in the results, but we know that the regatta is long, so we must stay focussed, and we will try to see what we can do better for tomorrow."
Australian Principal Race Officer David Brookes completed eight flights of the qualifying stage across the day. With stronger winds forecast, the relatively benign conditions gave all twelve teams a useful chance to get acquainted with both the Far East 28 racing boats and the new Macao race course before the round robin continues.
The top eight teams from the round robin will progress to the quarter-final stage, with the bottom four exiting the competition. Racing runs through to Sunday 29 March.
The World Match Racing Tour, founded in 2000, holds Special Event status with World Sailing, the global governing body of the sport, and the tour's season champion earns the World Sailing Match Racing World Champion title. Since its establishment, the tour and its events have distributed over USD24 million in prize money, supporting the career pathways of professional sailors competing at the highest levels of the sport.
