SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 18 (UPI) -- Emirates Team New Zealand put itself on the verge of an America's Cup title with a defeat of defending champs Oracle Team USA in Wednesday's Race 11.
New Zealand grabbed an 8-1 lead in the series -- one short of the needed nine wins -- with a 15-second decision over the Americans on San Francisco Bay.
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The Kiwi squad led the entire way and held off a late challenge when Team USA needed to execute two maneuvers to get around the final turning mark in the first of two scheduled Wednesday races.
A possibly decisive Race 12 was postponed until Thursday due to high wind speeds.
