Both Switzerland and the United States kept their America's Cup dreams alive by winning dramatic semi-final races against Britain and Italy, respectively, in the qualifying series.

The Swiss and U.S. were both on the verge of elimination in the first-to-5 Louis Vuitton Cup Semi-Finals away from Barcelona. With four wins each, the British and Italians only needed to win one more game to meet up in the final.

In light and tricky winds, the crew with less experience staged an amazing comeback, finishing the race just within the time limit, leaving Ben Ainslie’s AC75 monohull in the doldrums.

The British had a seemingly unassailable advantage over the Swiss but, at a crucial moment, they tacked off their hydrofoils, only to see their Swiss opponents foil past them.

The Swiss also dropped into "displacement" mode, where the hull is submerged in the water instead of being lifted above the surface. However, they managed to maintain sufficient momentum to complete the shorter course.

Italy vs. the U.S. started as a tactical "match race" that was handed to the U.S. when the Italians tried to outmanoeuvre and penalise their opponents, despite being in the mix, despite a number of penalties.

The gamble failed spectacularly, as the Italian boat dropped its foils. This left the U.S. to disappear in the distance and win a vital victory in the series.

The racing was abandoned and the next race is scheduled for Wednesday. Crews are now competing for the right challenge America's Cup defenders New Zealand on October. (Reporting and editing by Pritha Sakar; Alexander Smith)

(source: Reuters)