Einarson upsets Homan in Players’ Championship women’s quarterfinals
TORONTO — Winnipeg’s Kerri Einarson has advanced to the Players’ Championship semifinals following a stunning upset over Ottawa’s Rachel Homan.
The Tour Challenge Tier 2 winner Einarson erased a four-point deficit in the second half and capped the rally stealing two points in the eighth end to win 7-6 during the women’s quarterfinals Saturday afternoon at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Homan won three consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling women’s titles entering the event — capturing the Masters, National and Canadian Open — and was looking to become the first to sweep the majors in a single season. Her team clinched the Rogers Grand Slam Cup as the overall season champions to earn a $75,000 bonus.
“Even when you are losing you have to go, okay, you’ll get some chances and make some shots and we did,” Einarson said. “We just started putting some great draws together and made her throw some draws, which she was just struggling with a little bit and we ended up scoring our two.”
Homan had a superb start firing a double takeout to scored three in the first and adding another trey in the third to lead 6-2 heading into the fourth end break. Einarson settled for a single in the fifth, stole one in the sixth and another in the seventh to set up the dramatic final frame. Homan faced three and her shooter didn’t curl enough as it rubbed and rolled just an inch too far away to give up two.
“It took us a while to wake up, I guess, giving them two threes,” Einarson said. “We just ended up putting eight shots together and got some misses out of them, which was very unlikely, but we ended up coming out on top.”
Einarson will play Jennifer Jones, also of Winnipeg, in the semifinals. The five-time Players’ Championship winner Jones defeated Edmonton’s Val Sweeting 7-4 to advance.
Meanwhile, defending champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland moved on with a 12-4 win over American Erika Brown. Muirhead dominated early with a deuce in the first, held Brown to one in the second, added two more points in the third and stole three in the fourth to lead 7-1 at the break. Brown charged back a bit taking two in the fifth and stealing one in six but shook hands when Muirhead dropped a five-ender in seven.
“Really, really pleased with it,” Muirhead said. “It was a great game out there. We got our two in the first end, which we wanted, and forced to one. Got a two and kept at it. We simply forced her to play tough shots but we played great.”
Muirhead will play Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland, who scored a single in the eighth end to edge Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 3-2.
Earlier Saturday, Niklas Edin of Sweden clipped Calgary’s Charley Thomas 5-4 in a tiebreaker to advance to the men’s quarterfinals and faces Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L. Calgary’s Kevin Koe clashes with Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen, Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., goes up against Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock and Scotland’s David Murdoch plays Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont. Watch the men’s playoff round on Sportsnet 360 at 3:30 p.m. ET.
The men’s and women’s semifinals go down Sunday at 10 a.m. ET (watch on Sportsnet ONE).
NOTES: The Players’ Championship is fourth major and sixth event of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. … Winners of the Players’ Championship earn berths to the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 26 to May 1 in Sherwood Park, Alta.
