Einarson earns big first win over Black at KIOTI National
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., swept past Halifax’s Team Christina Black 11-3 Tuesday night in Draw 4 of the KIOTI National at the Mary Brown’s Centre.
It was a battle between the Tier 1 champion and the Tier 2 champion from October’s HearingLife Tour Challenge.
“It feels great,” said Einarson, who has won six Grand Slam of Curling women’s titles. “It’s always nice to start off with a win and we played really well, so that’s even better.”
Einarson opened with the hammer and converted for a deuce in the first end.
Already up 3-2 after four, Einarson pulled away with a score of three points in the fifth. After forcing Black to another single in the sixth, Einarson iced the game with a count of five points in the seventh.
“We made some nice ones when we really needed them and (third) Val (Sweeting) made a nice freeze to set up that deuce in the first end,” Einarson said. “It’s always nice to start off with a deuce and it sets the tone for the game.
“We had a couple good forces and she had an opportunity in six for two, but we definitely capitalized on that, put some pressure on in seven and made a couple beauties to score a mittful.”
Brittany Tran is subbing for Team Einarson second Shannon Birchard, who is recovering from a knee injury. Tran, who plays for Saskatoon’s Team Ashley Thevenot, is the third curler to fill for Birchard in Grand Slams this season. Dawn McEwen spared at the HearingLife Tour Challenge and Joanne Courtney came on board earlier this month for the Co-op Canadian Open in Nisku, Alta.
Tran curled 80 per cent in her Grand Slam top-tier debut.
“Another alternate filling in a spot here but it’s great,” Einarson said with a smile. “She’s a great thrower and I’ve played against her a lot. She makes a ton of shots, so we knew she would be a great fit.”
Black earned an invitation to the KIOTI National by winning the Tier 2 title.
KIOTI NATIONAL: DRAW SCHEDULE / RESULTS | STANDINGS | BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Elsewhere in Draw 4, Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan stole four in the sixth and one in the seventh to swipe an 8-3 victory over Winnipeg’s Team Chelsea Carey.
“It’s a good start,” Team Homan third Tracy Fleury said. “It took us a little bit of time to figure out the ice and then we got a break there in the sixth end. We’re happy to be back here playing in St. John’s. The crowd is great and the venue is awesome.”
The defending champ Homan won her record-extending 16th Grand Slam of Curling women’s title at the Co-op Canadian Open.
South Korea’s Team Seung-youn Ha beat Italy’s Team Stefania Constantini 11-8 and Team Eun-jung Kim of South Korea defeated Sweden’s Team Isabella Wranå 6-4 to wrap up the opening day of action.
UP NEXT
Round-robin play resumes Wednesday with Draw 5 at 8:30 a.m. NT / 7 a.m. ET.
Live streaming of every game is available on free preview via HomeTeam.
Broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ begins Thursday at noon NT / 10:30 a.m. ET.
NOTES
The KIOTI National is the third Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams from around the world. … Round-robin play runs through to Friday. The top eight teams in both divisions advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. If necessary, one tiebreaker draw will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff spots. … The semifinals are also scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.
