Rolex 2000 ISAF Womens World Match Racing - Day 6

Split-second finishes left the semi-finals of the Rolex 2000 ISAF Women's World Match Racing Championship hanging in the balance today, after more fickle breezes in St Petersburg, Florida. After losing their first matches, Great Britain's Shirley Robertson and Sweden's Marie Bjorling fought back to win in two nailbiting finishes.

The final few seconds of the day's racing were the most dramatic of all. Bjorling was given a penalty at the first windward mark after fouling Betsy Alison of the USA. The next run was a tense affair with Bjorling taking a big risk to round up centimetres ahead of Alison and take control of the next windward leg. She got away with it, but only just.

Down the final run, Bjorling looked to have a big enough lead to be able to complete her penalty comfortably before the finish. But Alison found better breeze on the other side of the course, and the Swedes would have to pull off the penalty turn of their lives if they were to win. They sent their Sonar keelboat into a tight spin as Alison began to cruise by, but the finish horn sounded in favour of Bjorling, who had won the heat by a second or less. The Swede admitted she had been lucky to have got away with the win. "We made some mistakes, like at the windward mark, but we are still learning and tomorrow will be different."

Alison looked furious as she crossed the line, but had calmed down by the time she reached the dock. "You have to accept it doesn't always go your way in this game," she said. "We've got a lot of racing left to do tomorrow."

Although not quite so dramatic, Robertson's win over the reigning world champion Dorte Jensen was equally crucial. The start and first beat of the race was almost a mirror image of the previous heat between the British and Danish teams. In the first race, the Olympic gold medallist won the start and eventually squeezed Jensen out, forcing her to tack away to the right, which looked to be weaker for breeze. But when the two boats came back together again it was the match race world champions who led, and sailed into a commanding lead by the finish.

Robertson lost the start in the next race and this time it was her turn to tack off right. Like the previous race, it worked in Robertson's favour to have lost the start and to be forced off to the right. It was her turn to take control, and she held off the Danes to the finish, albeit by only a few seconds.

Dorte said afterwards: "I think Shirley took big risks letting us go off to the other side of the course, but it worked for her - although only just. Tomorrow we just have to go out there and sail as fast as hell."

Earlier in the day, the last two heats of the quarter-final round robin saw four teams eliminated from the competition. Tomorrow they will race in the consolation finals to decide the minor placings, with Klaartje Zuiderbaan of the Netherlands set to slug it out with Hannah Swett from the USA for fifth and sixth overall. It is down to Paula Lewin of Bermuda and Katie Spithill of Australia to race off for seventh and eighth.

Racing is set to start at 0800 to make the best of the morning breeze. The race committee from St Petersburg Yacht Club are keeping their options open for the moment, but the semis-finals could be decided on just one more race rather than the best-of-five series originally scheduled. The finals must be completed before 1600 tomorrow afternoon, with the prizegiving set to take place in the evening.

Christine Briand of France narrowly beat Cristiana Monina of Italy in the play-offs for overall placings from 9th to 16th.

Results after Day Six

Semi-finals (two heats of five completed)

Skipper, Country (ranking from quarter-final)

Dorte Jensen, Denmark (1) v. Shirley Robertson, Great Britain (4): 1-1
Marie Bjorling, Sweden (2) v. Betsy Alison, USA (3): 1-1

Round Robin 4A - Quarter-finals

  Skipper             Country    Races won
1 Dorte Jensen        Denmark       7
2 Marie Bjorling      Sweden        5
3 Betsy Alison        USA           5
4 Shirley Robertson   Great Britain 4
5 Hannah Swett        USA           3
6 Klaartje Zuiderbaan Netherlands   2
7 Paula Lewin         Bermuda       1
8 Katie Spithill      Australia     1


Round Robin 4B - Consolation

   Skipper            Country     Races won
 9 Christine Briand   France        6
10 Cristiana Monina   Italy         6
11 Malin Milbourn     Sweden        4
12 Cordelia Eglin     Great Britain 3.5
13 Carolijn Brouwer   Netherlands   3
14 Amy Waring         New Zealand   3
15 Dru Slattery       USA           2
16 Gwen Joulie        France        0

• St Petersburg Yacht Club Website