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Team NZ go to match point at America's Cup


Team New Zealand has moved within one victory of retaining the America's Cup.


Team NZ moved the 37th America's Cup Match to match point, rebounding from back-to-back defeats with two dominant victories in on a breezy day five on Friday (Saturday NZ Time) off Barcelona, taking a 6-2 lead in the first-to-seven final.


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In Race 7, Britannia got the better off the start-line with a narrow lead. However, TNZ found better wind on the right side of the course and tacked in front of the English boat on the first cross, forcing them back to the left.


TNZ's lead grew to more than 200m on the first leg but Britannia made some gains late to trail by 12 seconds at the first mark.


Britannia remained well back on the first down-wind leg, trailing by 13 seconds at the gate, before TNZ made more gains up-wind, stretching out by more than 350m at one point and extending the gap to 24 seconds at the halfway stage.


Unlike Day 4, TNZ made no mistakes, leading by 29 seconds at mark four, moving clear by more than 750m on the final up-wind leg, ahead 53 seconds at the final mark and 1 minute 13 seconds at the finish.



Both crews timed their starts to perfection in Race 8, with TNZ carrying a little more speed and quickly pushing out by more than 100m on the left side of the course.


Peter Burling and Co led by 15 seconds around the first mark, 25 seconds at mark two, 41 seconds after the third leg and 36 seconds at halfway.


Britannia, helmed by Ben Ainslie, made further inroads on the fifth leg, cutting TNZ's lead to 23 seconds, which held at 27 seconds at the next marker, along the distance gap was still 500m-plus.


However, TNZ turned it on for the last up-wind leg, picking the wind shift and almost doubling the gap to 50 seconds before stretching out by more than 1000m on the run to the finish.


Heading in different directions on day five, Team New Zealand (left) and Britannia. PHOTO: TEAM NZ

"Really nice to bounce back from a few mistakes the other day and put a couple of solid races on the board," said Burling. "Completely different conditions to anything we've raced in so far. It was awesome.


"We were loving it. It was bit like a south-wester off Takapuna. Super shifty, had to use the boats a lot. The power team behind me, both sides, put in a huge stint both races to give us heaps and send us around the course.


Races 9 and 10 are scheduled for Saturday (Sunday NZ Time), with Races 11 and 12, if necessary, on Sunday (Monday NZT) and a potential, but increasingly unlikely, decider on Monday (Tuesday NZT).

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