SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- The longest America's Cup in history will come down to one deciding race between two 72-foot, space-age catamarans making a final, dramatic sprint around San Francisco Bay, on a five-leg course framed by the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island.
Skipper Jimmy Spithill and defending champion Oracle Team USA saw to that by extending their almost unimaginable winning streak to seven to force a winner-take-all finale against Emirates Team New Zealand.
Oracle came through a wild start with two collisions to win Race 17, and then sped past the Kiwis after they made a tactical error to give up the lead in Race 18 in strong wind.
All but defeated a week ago, Oracle Team USA tied the faltering Kiwis 8-8 on the scoreboard by winning its 10th race overall. Oracle was docked two points for illegally modifying boats in warmup regattas.