Italy's Luna Rossa eliminates American Magic from the America's Cup

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli eliminated NYYC American Magic on Thursday and advanced to the challenger’s final of the America’s Cup.

Luna Rossa won the series 5-3 after a flawless and fast regatta where the Italian yacht finished a minute ahead of its American rival.

“We are super happy. It has been a fantastic journey in this semifinal and we are ready for more,” port helmsman Francesco Bruni said.

Luna Rossa had led the series 4-0 before American Magic made it interesting by scoring three consecutive victories.

INEOS Britannia awaits the Italian yacht in the Louis Vuitton Cup challenger’s final that will begin on Sept. 26. That will be a rematch of the 2021 matchup that Luna Rossa won.

The winner of the series faces defending champion Team Emirates New Zealand in the America’s Cup final next month.

Luna Rossa sealed the win over the Americans a day after it gifted them their third victory, when some rigging broke free on the Italian yacht and left it disabled in the Mediterranean.

But the shore crew fixed the malfunction on the mainsail overnight.

Luna Rossa took the lead in the decider when it cut behind its rival on the first of six legs and never looked back. The Americans were 700 meters behind when the winner crossed the finish line.

“I would just like to mention American Magic for putting up a hell of a fight. They are a champion team and showed it,” Luna Rossa's starboard helmsman Jimmy Spithill said. “This victory has to go to the shore team. They worked all night and this morning looked like a bunch of zombies.”

Luna Rossa swept the Americans 4-0 at the same stage in the 2021 America’s Cup held in Auckland, New Zealand.

The Americans faced adversity this time around when experienced helmsman Paul Goodison was unable to race in the series after he fell on the boat and cracked some ribs. Lucas Calabrese took his place and performed admirably, according to co-helm Tom Slingsby, despite his limited hours in the super foiling yacht.

American Magic needed to win the two races scheduled on Thursday to advance.

“Huge congratulations to Luna Rossa, the better team won,” Slingsby said. “We've got to hold our heads high, as much as I am stewing on some bad decisions in that race. But given where we were last week, we had a huge improvement in that short time.”

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