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36th America's Cup: Emirates Team New Zealand win back-to-back races to open up lead

The defender's two race wins mean that they now hold a 5-3 advantage in the first-to-seven series and they have a chance to win the Auld Mug on Tuesday; racing will continue, live on Sky Sports Mix from 3am on Tuesday

Emirates Team New Zealand (Image Credit - ACE | Studio Borlenghi)
Image: After securing the race seven, Emirates Team New Zealand produced an extraordinary comeback to take race eight (Image Credit - ACE | Studio Borlenghi)

Emirates Team New Zealand won back-to-back races in remarkable fashion to break the deadlock in the 36th America's Cup Match and move 5-3 up in the first-to-seven series.

After both the defender and Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli had an unexpected rest day on Sunday, due to the action being called off after a lack of wind, they attacked Monday's racing with purpose and had to contend with light and unsteady winds.

The opening race saw the Italian challengers take an early lead before the defenders hit back and re-gained control.

The second race of the day was remarkable as Emirates Team New Zealand were able to turn a four-minute and eight-second deficit, being behind by a distance of almost 2km, into a three-minute and 55-second victory.

With the Kiwi outfit now holding a 5-3 advantage, they have a chance to win the Auld Mug with two wins on Tuesday. For Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, the pressure ramps up considerably as they know they must secure at least one race victory to stay in the fight.

Defenders put the pressure on

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Emirates Team New Zealand returned from an unscheduled rest day on Sunday to secure race seven

In the first race of the day, Emirates Team New Zealand showed their composure to reel their Italian opponents back in and set the tone for the rest of the day.

Peter Burling and his outfit were unfazed by Luna Rossa being able to create a 150m lead after just 90 seconds, and they stayed focused to bide their time and make their move.

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At the start of the third leg, nerves could be seen out on the course for the first time and it was the Italians who allowed their opponents to wrestle back control with a focused race line.

Once the Kiwis were given this breathing room, they unleashed the power of Te Rehutai, and overall, their smaller jib selection looked to have been a tactical masterstroke too.

36th America's Cup - Live on Sky Sports from 3am each race day

Tuesday, March 15 Races Nine and Ten
Wednesday, March 16 Races 11 and 12
Thursday, March 17 Race 13

New Zealand produce remarkable comeback

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An incredible victory from Emirates Team New Zealand handed them a 5-3 lead in this first-to-seven win contest

After a left shift in the wind conditions at the end of race seven, the race director picked up all of the marks and rotated the axis of the course between races to match that shift.

In the words of pundit David 'Freddie' Carr's, it meant that there were "some big shifts rattling down the course" and it would be a tactician's dream out there.

Carr, who was a grinder for INEOS TEAM UK's campaign, proved to be right and the action became as unpredictable as those wind shifts.

36th America's Cup Match - Standings

Wins Losses Total
Emirates Team New Zealand 5 3 5
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli 3 5 3

After enjoying a 16-second lead going through gate one, the Italians weathered a tricky gybe and found themselves doing 34 knots to the Kiwis' 14.

The difference in speed resulted in a huge lead for Luna Rossa of almost 2km in distance and over four minutes on the clock. However, their progress came to an abrupt halt when the breeze dropped and all of a sudden, they were off their foils and crawling around the course at the start of leg four.

In contrast, New Zealand's boat Te Rehutai remained high on their foils and they surged back at them.

As Luna Rossa were forced out of bounds to try and get back up on their foils, Emirates Team New Zealand flew towards them. Despite the shifty conditions, they kept their work clean and accelerated away from the struggling Italians to secure another vital race win.

36th America's Cup Match - Race Results

Race Seven Race Eight
Course: E Course: E
Current: 0.1 knots @ 137 Current: 0.1 knots @ 137
Start time: 4.15pm Start time: 5.15pm
Wind: 9-12knots 025-050 degrees Wind: 9 knots 000 degrees
Winner: Emirates Team New Zealand - 0.58s Winner: Emirates Team New Zealand - 3m55s

Burling: It was a tricky day

Peter Burling of Emirates Team New Zealand (Image Credit - ACE 36 | Studio Borlenghi)
Image: Emirates Team New Zealand's helmsman didn't allow himself to get too carried away with their victories (Image Credit - ACE | Studio Borlenghi)

Despite securing two wins, New Zealand's helmsman Burling was cautious in his optimism and gave a measured assessment after.

"It was a pretty tricky day, we felt like we executed our plan pretty well for the starts. They didn't quite swing our way in the final details, but they were close enough that it meant the races weren't over.

"In that last one, we were pretty lucky that they made a mistake and you take what you can get in these events," he said honestly.

"We feel like we're learning and improving the whole time; whether we win or lose the race, we come out with five or six things that are massive learnings. We're concentrating on keeping our learning curve as steep as we can."

Jimmy Spithill of Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli  (Image Credit - COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi)
Image: Jimmy Spithill remains confident in Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's ability (Image Credit - COR 36 | Studio Borlenghi)

For Spithill, a 5-3 deficit in the series is far from being a disaster, and he reiterated the Italian team's ability to fight and be up for any challenge that's thrown their way.

"All we need to do tomorrow is to go out and focus on winning the first one and then we'll take it from there," he said about their mindset for Tuesday.

"I'm confident that this team can do it; we came through the round-robin series the hard way. Everyone pretty much wrote us off in the PRADA Cup and we came through only dropping one race from the semi-finals on.

"Everyone was talking up the Kiwis and about a whitewash, but everyone at Luna Rossa believes that we can win this. We'll certainly be going out ready tomorrow to fight."

Watch every moment of the America's Cup challenge, live on Sky Sports. Coverage continues with the sixth race day of the 36th America's Cup Match on Sunday from 3am.

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