Team Emirates New Zealand has won the opening race of the America's Cup final against INEOS Britannia off Barcelona.

New Zealand took a 4-0 lead in their America's Cup defence on Monday, getting the better of the British challenger in a tight early tacking duel and then managing to control the race. There is only one race in the first-to-seven-wins series on Monday as it was carried over from Sunday,

New Zealand's Taihoro made it four from four off the Barcelona beachfront after beating Britannia by 23 seconds. The yachts exchanged leads in the first leg then the Kiwis made steady gains and were more than 350 meters in front when they crossed the finish line.

Great Britain slipped further behind in the America’s Cup as New Zealand moved 4-0 up in Barcelona on Monday. Race four, rescheduled due to low winds the previous day, saw Sir Ben Ainslie’s Ineos Britannia boat initially neck and neck with Emirates Team New Zealand before the defending champions eked out an advantage and moved three wins away from retaining the trophy.