America's Cup 2021: Team New Zealand one win away from defending trophy

[ASFN Admin]

Team New Zealand are one win away from successfully defending the America’s Cup after claiming victory over Luna Rossa in race nine of the series. There was a slightly anti-climactic feel at the end to Tuesday’s action as a late wind shift forced racing to be abandoned with the Kiwis 6-3 up in the first-to-seven series and on the verge of triumph. But the one race that was held was a cracker at least - the tightest of the match so far. In shifty breezes of between 12-15 knots, a fascinating battle played out on Course C - the so-called ‘stadium course’, which lies between North Head and Bastion Point, the two land masses affecting the flow of wind on the course. An even start saw both boats charge out to the left-hand boundary at 30 knots, Luna Rossa eventually forcing New Zealand to tack off while they headed for the right-hand lay line for the top gate. That allowed the Italians, on starboard, to round the gate with a one-second advantage after the Kiwis dipped under them. It was nip and tuck for much of the next three legs, the lead changing hands a few times until midway up the final beat when Luna Rossa forced New Zealand to tack to the right side of the course only for a friendly shift to help the defenders make some big gains, allowing them to round the gate with what proved to be a decisive 18-second advantage. New Zealand stretched that lead to 30 seconds on the final downwind leg, taking the victory and moving to match point. The boats will be back out on the water at 3.15am Wednesday (UK time) when Luna Rossa will have to win both races just to keep the series alive.

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