Hampshire sailor Ian Williams is on course for a record fifth World Match Racing Tour title.

The Lymington-based ace and his GAC Pindar crew today made strong progress in their quest to reach the finals of the Monsoon Cup, opening up a 2-0 lead over Eric Monnin in their first to three semi-final race.

If Williams were to make it to the finals tomorrow, he would automatically be crowned champion for 2014/15 regardless of the result in the final.

Commenting on the day’s racing, Williams said, “It was another great day from the team and we really feel like we’re in good form.

“We’re getting the big decisions on the water right. We’ll be looking for more of the same tomorrow.

“The beauty of match racing is that you are never beaten, so we need to focus ahead of tomorrow because Eric isn’t going to lie down and let us win.

“Our goal remains to win the Monsoon Cup, and to do that we need to ensure we come back out tomorrow with the same focus and resolve as we have the rest of the week.”