Ineos Britannia and Emirates Team New Zealand race during the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup race in Barcelona, Spain. (AP)

BARCELONA, Spain, Oct 12, (AP): Team Emirates New Zealand won the opening two races of the America’s Cup final against INEOS Britannia in their first-to-seven-wins series on Saturday. New Zealand led the first race from the start and finished 41 seconds and more than 400 meters ahead.

The second race was closer until Taihoro found more wind midway through, crossing 300 meters and 27 seconds in front. New Zealand is trying to win the Auld Mug, the oldest trophy in international sport, for a third straight time. The Brits have never won it in its 173-year history.

"This is what we have been working three years for,” New Zealand helmsman Nathan Outteridge said after winning the first race. "We have been a long time in preparation watching everyone else racing, so it was great to get a fantastic start and control that race. Let’s just keep our eyes focused forward.”

The Kiwis participated in the initial round-robin even though their results didn’t count since, according to America’s Cup custom, they had a guaranteed spot in the finals as the defender. But they sure didn't show any rust in their first competitive race in a month.

New Zealand got a haka sendoff from supporters and shore crew and was accompanied out of port by an ornamentally carved Maori waka (canoe). The team headed by Grant Dalton is aiming to become the first syndicate to ever win three consecutive times. As a nation, New Zealand has won four times (1995, 2000, 2017, 2021).

The British are participating in their first final in six decades. Britannia impressed in the challenger's regatta as it bested four other boats from Italy, the United States, Switzerland, and France. It set an America’s