The sixth Swedish Match Tour has just begun, and if the remaining eight events bear any resemblance to the Portugal Match Cup it’s going to be an exciting season.

Ed Baird and Russell Coutts put on a thrilling final series, one featuring numerous lead changes, seven penalties and enough match-race strategy to make a chess grand master envious.

The two were the best performing skippers all week. Coutts entered the final undefeated in 11 races. Baird had lost only two in 13 starts. But in the end Baird defeated Coutts, 3-0.

Baird won his second Swedish Match Tour event of the year (he won the Congressional Cup last April) one week after winning his third match-racing world championship.

Earlier in July Baird and Team Musto finished fifth at the Swedish Match Cup. With the victory, Baird scores 25 points towards the Swedish Match Tour championship and takes pole position in the race for the BMW 545i Touring that will be awarded to the champion next July in Sweden.

Baird and Team Musto made it to the final after beating Radich and his Team Denmark crew (Jann Neergaard, Chresten Plinius, Pete Poulsen, Rasmus Winston) 3-1 in the semifinals. Coutts and his Danish crew defeated Peter Holmberg and the Team Alinghi crew (Rodney Ardern, Murray Jones, Lorenzo Mazza and Pete Van Nieuwenhuyzen) 3-0 to make the final.

In the Petit Final, featuring two skippers who have been out of match-racing for awhile, Holmberg defeated Radich 2-0.

PETIT FINAL AND FINAL

Flight 1 : Peter Holmberg def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Russell Coutts (NZL)

Flight 2 : Peter Holmberg (USVI) def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Ed Baird (USA) def. Russell Coutts (NZL)

Flight 3 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Russell Coutts (NZL)

SEMIFINALS DAY 2

Flight 3 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Jesper Radich (DEN) - Russell Coutts (NZL) def. Peter Holmberg (USVI)

Flight 4 : Ed Baird (USA) def. Jesper Radich (DEN)