Italy to face Britain in America's Cup final

Italy will face Britain in the final of the America's Cup challenger series, recovering from a breakage with a convincing win over their U.S. semi-final opponents.

The Italian team beat the United States 5-3 in the first-to-five Louis Vuitton Cup semis, after the British crew had ended Switzerland's challenge in Barcelona.

Britain clinched their semi-final over Switzerland in the America's Cup challenger series to secure a place in the Louis Vuitton Cup final starting on Sept. 26.

The winner of the September 26 Louis Vuitton Cup final will get to take on America's Cup defenders New Zealand for the coveted "Auld Mug", which dates back to 1851 and is the oldest international sporting trophy.

Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's Freancesco Bruni, said: “Super happy. Very happy. Almost more than when we won the Prada Cup in Auckland (New Zealand in 2021). It’s been a fantastic journey, this super semi-finals. And yeah, we’re ready for more fights. It was great to – we had some pressure for sure. And it was great to reply strongly to that pressure.”

There were celebrations on the water and ashore on the beach after Italy secured their place in the final, with co-helm Francesco Bruni pumping his fists aboard the sleek, silver Italian AC75 after crossing the finish line.

Italy suffered a dramatic breakage to their traveler track, a key part of their foiling monohull's rig, which needed an all-night effort to get it fixed.

His co-helm Jimmy Spithill dedicated the win -- which he described as "one hell of a fight" -- to Italy's boat builders.

For the United States, who suffered a setback when their co-helm Paul Goodison fell down a hatch and broke five ribs, the America's Cup dream is over once again.