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OneWorld vs. Conner in next round
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (CNN) -- Seattle-based Louis Vuitton challenger OneWorld has chosen to race fellow Americans Team Dennis Conner in the quarterfinal repechage. OneWorld, as the highest ranked of the four remaining teams hoping for a place in the semifinals, was allowed to choose their opponent. Louis Vuitton Cup holder Italian team Prada will race Swedish team Victory. The best-of-series repechage is due to begin on November 23. "Each of these teams are extremely challenging...(and) must be taken extremely seriously," said OneWorld CEO Gary Wright. "We put it to the team, and at the end of the day we determined that this was the right decision for us. We look forward to getting back on the water doing what we came here to do." The winners will meet top-ranked Swiss team Alinghi and Oracle BMW Racing in the semifinals, while the losers will be eliminated. British team GBR and French team Le Defi Areva dropped out of contention after the quarterfinals, following Italian team Mascalzone Latino which came last after the round robins. Team Dennis Conner tactician Terry Hutchinson said the team's recent form has given it renewed confidence, there is still room for improvement. "Our team's come a long way, our boat's come a long way, but we still have a long way to go," Hutchinson said. "You can't underestimate the fact that we still need to get a lot better to win." OneWorld had a successful first round robin, ending the series unbeaten, while Team Dennis Conner had a mixed result of four wins and four losses. Both teams struggled in round robin two, with OneWorld winning 5 races and Team Dennis Conner winning only two races from eight starts. In the quarterfinals, Team Dennis Conner, sailing USA-77 for the first time and showing a bit more boat speed, dominated GBR. OneWorld, however, fell in four straight races against Oracle BMW Racing. Victory's project manager Mats Johansson said previous matches against Prada had been well matched. "This is an outcome we have calculated and we found the most self evident," Johansson said. "We know Prada have had a strong development lately. But also we have made huge progress." Prada conceded defeat in the quarterfinals against Alinghi after three losses, saying they wanted to spend more time developing their yachts before the next round.
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