Einarson tops Campbell to win first game at Co-op Canadian Open
RED DEER, Alta. — Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli got out to a good start to the New Year with a 7-5 victory over Winnipeg’s Team Jolene Campbell during Draw 4 of the Co-op Canadian Open on Tuesday night at Servus Arena.
Already up by one, Einarson just needed to make an open hit on the nose with the last rock of the game to secure the victory in her team’s first game of the Grand Slam of Curling major tournament.
“It’s nice to come out with a good, solid win,” said Einarson, whose team shot 89 per cent. “I thought we played pretty well and (were) just trying to get used to the ice. The other team put a lot of pressure on us too and made some really great shots.”
Team Campbell was close in the shooting percentage firing at an 87 per cent clip and secured the hammer to start the matchup between Manitoba-based clubs.
Campbell was unable to convert though and was forced to settle for just a single in the second end. The five-time Grand Slam champion Einarson went to work in the third and capped a strong end with an open draw for a critical three points and a 3-1 lead.
“It was definitely key,” Einarson said. “It kind of changed the momentum a little bit. … We put some really good shots together that end.”
Campbell came right back with a tap to score a tying two points in the fourth to knot it up, however, Einarson matched with a draw for a deuce in the fifth to re-establish the two-point gap then stole one in the sixth for a 6-3 cushion.
Campbell drew for another deuce in the seventh to close the gap but handed the hammer back to Einarson for the final frame.
Einarson is looking to complete a career Grand Slam with just the Co-op Canadian Open left to cross off the list among the four majors in the series.
Jennifer Jones is also a Co-op Canadian Open title away from joining that club, and her Winnipeg team kicked things off in the win column as well with a 6-3 victory over Edmonton’s Selena Sturmay.
Team Sturmay received a late invitation to compete in the event after Italy’s Team Stefania Constantini withdrew due to medical reasons.
Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa opened their title defence in the event scoring two in the eighth end to edge Team Tabitha Peterson of the United States 7-6.
Fujisawa beat Einarson 5-3 in last year’s final in Camrose, Alta., to claim her first career Grand Slam title and the first for a team from Japan.
Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni held on to defeat Scotland’s Team Morrison 5-4.
CO-OP CANADIAN OPEN: SCORES / STANDINGS | DRAW SCHEDULE | BROADCAST SCHEDULE
UP NEXT
The Co-op Canadian Open resumes with Draw 5 Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. MT.
Broadcast coverage begins Thursday at 2 p.m. ET / Noon MT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ (Canada) and gsoclive.com (international).
NOTES
The Co-op Canadian Open is the fourth event of the Grand Slam of Curling 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 evening with the best eight teams in both divisions advancing to Saturday’s quarterfinals. If necessary, one tiebreaker round will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff berths. … The semifinals are also on tap Saturday with both finals scheduled for Sunday.
