Auckland / New Zealand (dpa) – The 36th American Cup entered the decisive stage, two points behind New Zealand. The defending champions scored a breakthrough in a duel with rivals Italy, after setting a well-balanced record so far.

The crew surrounding rudder Peter Burling won my two races for the first time, leading 5-3. If seven wins are necessary, the decision can be made at Races 9 and 10 (March 16, 4.15 AM / Servus TV).

After the New Zealand “T Rihautai” dominated the first confrontation on the fifth day of the long distance race at a better speed and won it by 58 seconds, there were several changes to the lead for the first time in the eighth race. The New Zealanders had problems with extremely light winds and struggled for minutes to take off their high-tech yacht, which was almost stationary, while Italy withdrew.

The race for Luna Rossa began when the Italians faced similar difficulties. New Zealand came back, passed and won. Italy had to watch how the 4:27 minute advance at the second turning point turned into a 3:55 minute deficit at the end.

“It was an emotional rollercoaster ride for both teams. Who would have thought sailing the Copa America might be so weird,” said TV commentator and former America’s Cup captain Ken Reed. Luna Rossa captain Jimmy Spethyl (Australia) was the usual fighter after races: “We can win races, and that’s exactly what we want to do tomorrow.”