No one can rest comfortably or take anything for granted, but teams on the edge will have more of a sense of urgency as time slips away. There are only two days and six matches left for those with moves to make.

Italy and Egypt have looked very strong in the Bermuda Bowl round-robin, while the two teams from the U.S., including the defending champions (USA1), look like qualifiers along with surprising Argentina. Host Portugal is also in a good position after 15 of the 21 qualifying rounds.

The Italians lost to Egypt on Thursday 41-54 (12-18) but then came back against South Africa before losing to a close match to Poland. Italy’s lead over Egypt remained at a substantial 20 Victory Points despite the 33-37 loss (14-16) to Polish team that has been near the bottom of the standings for most of the round-robin.

In the Venice Cup, the French women, who took over the first qualifying spot from China on Thursday, also appear to be a lock for the round of eight (as do the Chinese). The two U.S. teams, Germany and England are also well positioned.

France had a huge day, clobbering all three opponents – Morocco, Japan and Sweden – to earn 74 out of 75 possible Victory Points. China fell from first despite beating Portugal and England, and they later lost to USA2 26-48 (10-20).

Among competitors in the Seniors Bowl, the Netherlands surged back into first among the round-robin contestants, followed closely by USA1and Indonesia. The Dutch regained the top spot by defeating Sweden, Israel and Italy, the last two in convincing fashion.