Einarson rebounds with win over Schwaller at AMJ Players’ Championship
TORONTO — Canada’s Team Kerri Einarson bounced back to beat Switzerland’s Team Xenia Schwaller 8-5 during Draw 8 Thursday at the AMJ Players’ Championship.
Trailing 3-1, Einarson scored three points in the fourth end and four in the sixth while limiting Schwaller to singles in the fifth and seventh to improve to a 2-1 round-robin record in the fifth and final Grand Slam of Curling event of the season.
Coincidentally, it was a revenge game one year in the making. Schwaller made her Grand Slam of Curling debut in the event last season and it was on this day, one year ago, when the 2024 world junior gold medallist upset the six-time Grand Slam champ Einarson 6-4 to earn her first win in the series.
Both teams play again in the evening draw. Einarson faces fellow Canadian club Team Rachel Homan in a rematch of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final, while Schwaller (0-3) goes up against South Korea’s Team Eun-jung Kim.
Elsewhere in Draw 8, Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa got into the win column with a 6-5 victory in an extra end over South Korea’s Team Eun-ji Gim. Fujisawa (1-2) made a come-around tap and needed a measure to secure the winning point as Gim dropped to 0-3.
In men’s play, Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs scored a single in the eighth end to edge Italy’s Team Joël Retornaz 5-4.
The world bronze medallist Jacobs climbed to a 2-1 record while Retornaz remains winless at 0-3.
Jacobs has called upon Tyler Tardi and Connor Njegovan to fill in for second Brett Gallant and lead Ben Hebert this week. Gallant is resting and recovering as he prepares to represent Canada again at the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship. Hebert is out with an injury.
Germany’s Team Marc Muskatewitz also picked up a 5-4 win over Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte. Both teams hold 1-2 records.
Whyte and his Stirling-based squad are looking for a second straight Grand Slam title after capturing their first at the WFG Masters in January.
Up next
Round-robin action continues with Draw 9 at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT at the Mattamy Athletic Centre. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.ca with broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Live streaming of every game is available in free preview via HomeTeam.
Notes
The AMJ Players’ Championship features the top 12 men’s teams and top 12 women’s teams from around the world. … Round-robin play runs through to Friday evening. Six teams qualify for the playoffs in both divisions, with the top two receiving byes to the semifinals. … If necessary, one tiebreaker draw is slated for Saturday morning. … The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday. Both finals are on tap Sunday.
