AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- Swiss challenger Alinghi edged OneWorld by 27 seconds Thursday to end the Seattle syndicate's winning streak in the America's Cup challenger series.

OneWorld was unbeaten in eight races in the first round, and opened the second round Wednesday with another win.

Alinghi avenged its 10-second, first-round loss to OneWorld in another close tussle and secured outright first spot in the standings.

Going into the match, Alinghi and OneWorld were joint leaders with eight points from nine races. OneWorld had nine race wins but lost a point for a rules infraction before racing began.

In other matches, Larry Ellison's San Francisco-based Oracle syndicate, with New Zealander Chris Dickson at the helm, beat Italy's Mascalzone Latino by 2 minutes and 40 seconds.

After losing four of the previous five starts, world match racing champion Peter Holmberg was dumped as Oracle skipper and replaced as helmsman.

Dickson had previously been sidelined from the Oracle sailing team after friction with teammates.

Defending challenger series champion Prada of Italy posted its third win in consecutive races, beating New York's Stars & Stripes by 41 seconds, while Sweden's Victory Challenge, sailing its new race yacht Orm, beat Le Defi of France by 1:19, leaving the French winless in 10 matches. Britain's GBR Challenge had a bye.

In the feature match, the yachts crossed the start line close together with OneWorld at the favored pin end, Alinghi to its right.

Alinghi picked up a slight right-hand shift of the first beat and was ahead when the yachts crossed for the first time. It around all marks, but by a peak margin of only 29 seconds.

"The pin end was definitely favored,'' said Alinghi tactician Jochen Schuemann. "We started with us to the right and we had the advantage of being in position for a shift to the right. The first cross was in our favor and that was the race.''

Schuemann said the tight race had tested the abilities of the Alinghi afterguard, including two-time Cup champion Russell Coutts at the helm.

"The win keeps us at the top of the leaderboard which is good but the main thing is to be in the top four and we are there at the moment.''

The last placed of the nine challengers will be cut from the competition following the second round.