By Alexander Smith
(Reuters) – Britain selected Switzerland on Friday as their opponents for the semi-finals of the America’s Cup challenger series which begin this weekend, meaning Italy will face the United States.
The four teams are seeking to win the right to challenge New Zealand for the coveted “Auld Mug”, which dates back to 1851 and is the oldest international sporting trophy, off Barcelona.
The first team to reach five wins in each semi-final will move into the Louis Vuitton Cup final. The winner of that will then face the Kiwis in October’s America’s Cup Match.
Ben Ainslie’s British team were given the choice of their semi-final opponents after sealing victory in a round robin series, beating Italy in a sail-off for top spot.
“Ultimately you’ve just got make a decision and get on with it and win some races,” Ainslie said of the British decision during a press conference for the four remaining skippers.
France have already been eliminated as potential challengers in the competition between huge AC75 foiling mono-hulls. These are lifted above the water on high-tech hydrofoils and can hit speeds approaching 50 knots.
“I am quite pleased, actually, to race against INEOS Britannia. They showed great performance in the round robin, and if we want to win this thing then I think we need to learn from the best,” Swiss skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis said.
The U.S. team will begin their semi-final without Paul Goodison, normally their first-choice of helm alongside Tom Slingsby, who was injured during a fall on their boat.
“We’re still taking it day by day for when he will return,” Slingsby said on Friday, adding that Lucas Calabrese had stepped into the role on American Magic and was doing “an amazing job”.
(Reporting by Alexander Smith; Editing by Toby Davis)
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