News Canadian Open

MEDICINE HAT, Alta. — Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson upset defending champion Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., 5-4 Wednesday night in the opening round-robin draw of the Canadian Open.

The loss ended a 14-game winning streak in the Grand Slam of Curling series for Howard, who ran the table at the past two events capturing the Players’ Championship in April to finish last season and taking the Masters just two weeks ago.

Eriksson, making his Grand Slam debut, opened with the hammer and converted to score a deuce in the first. Howard settled for a single in the second and tied it up with a steal in the third. Eriksson responded with a point in the fourth and a single steal in the fifth to regain the two-point lead, but Howard matched with similar scores in six and seven to knot it up heading into the final frame. Eriksson held the hammer coming home and added the winning single.

Howard, who has won 13 Grand Slams as a skip, stole one in the seventh to tie it 4-4 but Eriksson held the hammer in the final end and only needed a single.

The Canadian Open is the second leg of the four-event Grand Slam of Curling series featuring 18 of the top men’s teams from around the world. As the winner of the Masters, Howard has the opportunity to earn a $1-million bonus if his team can win all four Grand Slam of Curling titles this season.

Elsewhere in the opening draw, Toronto’s Mark Kean defeated Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud 6-3. Kean cruised to an early four-point lead in the first half with steals of two in the first, one in the third an another in the fourth. Ulsrud snapped the shutout in the fifth with a single and the teams alternated pairs of points in six and seven.

Edmonton’s Kevin Martin also earned a 6-3 victory over Peter de Cruz 6-3 of Switzerland. Martin, a record 17-time Grand Slam champion, broke a 2-2 tie scoring three points in the fifth and padded his lead with a single steal in the sixth.

Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton scored four in the sixth and stole one in the seventh in an 8-3 win over Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock and Calgary’s Kevin Koe took two in the eighth end to cap a 5-2 win over Toronto’s John Epping.

Round-robin action resumes Thursday at 10 a.m. MT.