Paul Cayard's AmericaOne ensured her place in the final of the Louis Vuitton Cup by beating the Nippon Challenge's Asura in a tight race yesterday and knocking Peter Gilmour's boat out of contention.

The win was AmericaOne's eighth of the semi-finals, giving them an unassailable lead with a race in hand in these America's Cup challenger trials. However, Cayard hinted that he would not risk AmericaOne if the weather was bad today, when she is due to race against Stars & Stripes. This would give a vital point to the Dennis Conner syndicate which was stripped of a point at the weekend after using, against the rules, a rudder made in Australia.

Stars & Stripes kept her hopes alive yesterday by beating America True while Prada Luna Rossa, the only other boat in contention, defeated Le Defi Francais by nine seconds.

With the Italians on six points from nine races and Stars & Stripes on five from eight, a race-off on Saturday would become likely if Cayard pulls out of today's race. Prada meet Asura today and Stars & Stripes' final race is another encounter with America True.

Cayard was noncommittal on whether or not he would go all out in the race against Conner. "We've been discussing it, and basically we came here to race," he said.

But he added: "The management decision is about the weather. I would hate to come back with a stump instead of a mast. That wouldn't be too prudent for me. I don't have six masts."

In his matches against the Italians, Cayard has won three times, and lost twice, while his score against Conner is currently level on two wins each.

Stars & Stripes has shown the most improvement since the Louis Vuitton Cup started, and the wily Conner is a battle-hardened veteran. Prada beat Cayard in the first two rounds, but the Americans won in round three and both times they met in the semi-finals.

In heavy, cold winds around 18 to 20 knots and very lumpy seas, racing on the Hauraki Gulf was rugged yesterday, with severe strain on sheets and hulls and at various points all boats shipped in lots of water to the cockpits.

On the last leg to home, it looked for a moment as if the French were going to overtake the Italians and pull off a sensational win, but suddenly their boom hit the water, a spinnaker twisted and Prada prevailed.