Frenchman Sebastien Col shaved Ian Williams' lead atop the International Sailing Federation (ISAF) World Match Race Tour championship standings to six-points after capturing the $125,000 Troia Portugal Match Race title in Portugal over the weekend.

Col, who began match racing in 1996, and French Match Racing Team/K-Challenge savoured a second win on this year's tour after defeating Sweden's Magnus Holmberg 2-0 in Sunday's final, sailing in the SM-40s in 15-22 knot easterly breezes and a strong tidal current on the Rio Sada.

"We started the day with a lot of pressure on us since we felt that any of us could win," the Americas Cup skipper commented following his most recent triumph.

Col and Holmberg advanced to the final after getting past Damien Ihel and reigning King Edward VII Gold Cup champion Mathieu Richard in the semis. Holmberg's win over Richard also dashed any hopes there might've been for an all-French final.

If it was any consolation, King Edward VII Gold Cup champion Richard pocketed $18,750 in prize earnings after getting past compatriot Iehl in the petite final, while reigning ISAF World Match Race Tour champion Williams placed seventh overall in the 12 boat fleet.

Col's win in Portugal has now upped the ante as the fleet head to Bermuda's shores for next week's King Edward VII Gold Cup, the penultimate stage of the ISAF World Match Race Tour, with the race for the overall title wide open as only 11 points separate current leader Williams from third -placed Richard.

Richard, who defeated Sweden's Bjorn Hansen 2-0 in last year's Gold Cup final in Hamilton Harbour, is presently the world's top ranked match race skipper.

Hansen, three-time Olympic Gold medallist Ben Ainslie, Aussie Torvar Mirsky, multiple Rolex Yachtswomen of the Year Award recipient Sally Barkow and Switzerland's Eric Monnin have also been confirmed for next month's King Edward VII Gold Cup, which will also feature the Renaissance Reinsurance Junior Gold Cup and the first ever Bermuda Festival of Sail.

Mirsky finished sixth in Portugal last weekend followed by Hansen further back in tenth.