By Christopher Reive in Barcelona

Team New Zealand have made a flying start to their defence of the America’s Cup in Barcelona.

On the opening day of their Cup match against Ineos Britannia, the Kiwis raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first-to-seven series.

It was a tale of two races in light, shifty conditions on the Mediterranean Sea, with the Kiwis dictating things from start to finish in race one, before a tense match race in the second saw the teams tussle for position before Team NZ kicked on in the later legs.

“It was super shifty and with these clouds around I was finding it really hard to see what the breeze was going to do,” Team NZ starboard helmsman Peter Burling said.

“We did a great job as a crew just talking through it and taking some smart options. It was definitely pretty tight in that last one, but great to get another win on the board; a nice way to start.”

The Kiwis walked out to their AC75 to David Dallas’ hit Runnin’ and polite applause from a cast of thousands gathered around their Barcelona base, before making their way onto the racecourse, led out by Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei. There has been a growing Kiwi presence in the city over the last couple of days, and that was clear as the team docked out.

After a delay of almost an hour while waiting for the wind to build, they flew into action to win the opening race of the Cup match in clinical fashion.

After a delay in getting racing underway, Emirates Team New Zealand took a 2-0 lead over Ineos Britannia in the America's Cup match. Photo / Ian Roman, America's Cup

Team NZ got off to a perfect start in the opening race of the best-of-13 series, positioning themselves well in the pre-start to fly over the line at 35 knots, a touch faster than the Brits with both teams using their biggest mainsail in the light conditions.

It wasn’t the aggressive pre-start many had anticipated for the opening race. The British were dealing with a battery issue onboard prior to the race and were late to the starting box which put them on the backfoot from the outset.

Building a 24s lead at the first gate, it was on Team NZ to complete a clean, smart race from there and not give the British a chance at working into the lead.

They were able to do that in dynamic conditions, though the British again showed just how strong they are on the downwind legs as they consistently cut into the Team NZ lead; sailing an average of 1.8 knots faster than Team NZ on the downwind legs.

But while that was the case, Team NZ had the advantage upwind, sailing an average of 1.1 knots faster than the Brits on those legs. The Kiwis also had a superior average VMG, sailing about 700m less than the British.

The second race of the day was significantly closer, with the teams hitting the start line at the same time and Team NZ tacking way immediately.

That began a tight battle of position with the teams trading the lead through the first half of the race, before Team NZ found a good shift on leg five and kicked away to claim a 27s win.

The Cup match is scheduled to resume tomorrow, though light winds are forecast and delays are expected.

America’s Cup results

Emirates Team New Zealand beat Ineos Britannia by 41s

Emirates Team New Zealand beat Ineos Britannia by 27s

Emirates Team New Zealand lead the America’s Cup first-to-seven series 2-0

Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.