In the bottom of the rankings, the decision match was plaed between french team Areva and second italian one of Mascalzone Latino. But the frenchs did not let a chance to the Latin Rascals who can prepare their travel back to home.

Flight 9

• Match 1 Le Defi FRA 69 wins against Mascalzone Latino ITA 72 (1’ 10")

The race started at 11:0à with Italian boat first one the line. But Luc Pillot and his crew took the right part of the racing course and took the first shift to take the lead. Toward the end of the race, Italians werenot able to close the gap between them and the yellow IACC boat wich took the revenge point of round robin one to enter in the quarters of final of the Louis Vuitton Cup.

• Match 2 OneWorld USA 67 wins against Luna Rossa ITA 74 (54")

The match starts at 11:10. Luna Rossa, with Rod Davis at the helm, takes the right and starts to windward of OneWorld. There are about 15 knots of breeze. The right looks favourite and Francesco tacks towards that side of the course. He then tacks back and the two boats sail for a long while on parallel tacks, with ITA 74 to windward of USA 67. Another tack and the Americans stretch on ITA 74, who has no other tactical option that to head to the port lay-line. The wind shifts to the right favouring USA 67, who rounds the mark 22 seconds ahead of the Italians.

During the first spinnaker run Luna Rossa gybes to keep in the centre of the course, while OneWorld sails to the left. OneWorld defends her lead and at the bottom mark is still ahead by 21 seconds. Luna Rossa runs into a problem hoisting her genoa at the mark and loses many precious seconds sailing the first few metres of the last beat with no jib.

The wind is quite shifty and oscillates between 15 and 17 knots. Francesco de Angelis and his crew try to gain on their opponent by sailing into the frequent wind shifts, but OneWorld controls every move of the Italians. USA 66 further consolidates her lead and rounds the last mark 1 minute and 11 seconds ahead of Luna Rossa.

During the last spinnaker run Luna Rossa heads to the right of the course, while USA 67 keeps to the left. Francesco de Angelis is able to gain 17 seconds on USA 67 and finishes the race 54 seconds behind OneWorld.

Source Prada Luna Rossa

• Match 3 Alinghi SUI 64 wins against Orm SWE 73 (29")

Like in most of the other matches, the first boat to sail in the right hand of theracing area catches the first shift and takes the lead. That’s what did Alinghi to come back ahead in the first beat even if Orm was the first to cross the starting line. After one round un the up-and-down course, Alinghi knew few fitting problems but it was resolved fastly and Coutts did not lose time over Bank to add a new point in its OPA over the Round Robin 2 classification.

• Match 4 Oracle BMW Racing USA 76 wins against Wight Lightning GBR 70 (2’)

After a short delay to wait for the wind to settle, the pre-start got underway with GBR Challenge entering from the right hand side in 15 knots of breeze from 200 degrees. The teams went into a dial-up, with Oracle tacking off to the right and GBR Challenge to the left. As the teams came back into another dial-up, Peter Holmberg protected the right. The third time that the teams came together, Harrison’s men managed to sail underneath the experienced Americans. Oracle BMW reacted by gybing onto the tail of Wight Lightning. With 90 seconds to go to the gun, GBR 70 tacked back onto starboard, but was given a penalty as the jury decided that the British team had tacked in Oracle BMW’s water. The American team luffed and threatened to shut Wight Lightning out at the Committee Boat end of the line. GBR 70 tacked, with USA 76 tacking to position to windward to cover the British team. Holmberg sailed GBR Challenge to the right, beyond the starboard layline before tacking back to the line to cross 19 seconds ahead.

GBR Challenge threw in 13 tacks, with the American team reacting each time to cover their British counterparts as the breeze built to 19 knots. Oracle BMW showed their strong upwind speed in the windy conditions to take a 55 second lead at the windward mark. On the first run, GBR 70 gybed out to the left hand side of the course with USA 76 sailing to the right. Oracle BMW gybed back to cover and extended slightly on GBR Challenge. At the first leeward mark, the margin was one minute and ten seconds. Whilst GBR Challenge recovered two seconds on Oracle BMW on the second beat, the American team remained in control to maintain their lead for the final run and take the point from the match.

Source GBR Challenge

Afternoon races

• Alinghi SUI 64 wins against Wight Lightning GBR 70 (1’ 26")

This afternoon’s match started in 18 knots from 260 degrees. After the dialup, Alinghi were the first team to break to the right, pursued by Wight Lightning. The British team matched Alinghi’s manoevres and came up to windward to protect the right hand side with 90 seconds to go. Alinghi were forced to bear away to kill some time towards the line as the British team tacked to take the right hand side.

Alinghi continued to the left hand side for 30 seconds before tacking onto port. As a drag race developed, the Swiss team showed better speed to increase the gauge between the boats and take control of the match. The Coutts / Butterworth afterguard then kept an eye on the British team to cover Wight Lightning up the remainder of the beat.

At the weather mark, Alinghi had a 38 second lead. The teams bore away onto a long port gybe and Coutts‚ men again extended to be 54 seconds ahead at the leeward mark. Again the Swiss team protected their lead to leave the British team too far away to threaten them on the final run.

Source GBR Challenge

• OneWorld USA 67 wins against Stars & Stripes USA 66 (1’ 19")

Caught in a tight circling duel without sufficient speed to escape, Stars & Stripes was successfully protested by her opponent about two minutes before the starting gun for failing to keep clear.

The two boats made clean starboard tack starts at opposite ends of the start line, with OneWorld out to the right at the committee boat and Stars & Stripes at the pin end. Insult was piled on injury as they tacked into a right-hand shift that favored Aussie skipper Peter Gilmour aboard OneWorld, representing the Seattle Yacht Club.

Stars & Stripes, carrying the colors of the New York Yacht Club and steered by Ken Read, Newport, RI, carried the attack to the Seattle boat. Stars & Stripes was seldom more than three boat lengths out of the lead for much of the first weather leg, but Gilmour’s team covered every move.

On the second beat to windward, Stars & Stripes continued the assault, tacking 17 times as her crew played every shift of the gusty southwesterly. The Seattle boat only gained six seconds on the leg.

 Ken Read : "The result could have been better, but we are continuing to learn valuable lessons about our boat and its potential. We’re already concentrating on new speed techniques and some fine-tuning on crew roles as we prepare for the Quarter-Finals just ten days from now."