New Zealand goes 4-0 up on INEOS Britannia in America’s Cup, needs 3 more wins to retain title

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Emirates Team New Zealand took another step to retaining the America’s Cup after building a 4-0 lead over INEOS Britannia on Monday.

The cup will go to the first yacht that reaches seven wins. The Kiwis have three to go while the British boat has a huge deficit to make up.

New Zealand’s Taihoro made it four from four off the Barcelona beachfront after beating Britannia by 23 seconds. The two boats exchanged leads in the first leg, but the Kiwis slowly added to their lead and were over 350 meters in front when they crossed the finish line.

New Zealand is trying to win the Auld Mug, the oldest trophy in international sport, for a third straight time and fifth overall. The British have never won it in its 173-year history and are in their first final in six decades.