News Canadian Open

YORKTON, Sask. — Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont., Calgary’s Chelsea Carey and Anna Sidorova of Russia clinched the final three playoff spots in the Meridian Canadian Open.

Fleury fended off Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 5-4, Carey clipped Margaretha Sigfridsson 6-2 and Sidorova ousted Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 6-1 during the women’s C event qualifiers of the triple knockout preliminary round Friday night. All three advanced with 3-2 records.

“It was an exciting game, it was really back and forward,” Fleury said. “It could have been either team’s game, well-played game.” 

Fleury broke a tie stealing one point in the fourth and added another in the fifth to go up 3-1. Rocque recovered with a deuce in six, Fleury blanked seven to retain the hammer coming home and added the winning single in eight.

“She’s a great player,” Fleury said. “She calls a great game so we knew we would have to play our best.”

The women’s quarterfinals will see Fleury face Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones (3-0), Edmonton’s Val Sweeting (3-1) vs. Scotland’s Eve Muirhead (3-1), Carey vs. Switzerland’s Alina Paetz (3-0) and Sidorova vs. Ottawa’s Rachel Homan (3-1).

Elsewhere, Calgary’s Kevin Koe took down Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste, Marie, Ont., 5-3 in a big B-side battle to qualify at 3-1. Jacobs settled for one in the first and stole a point in the second to take an early 2-0 advantage. Koe looked to score four in the third but didn’t get the right raise, however, he walked away with a deuce to tie it. 

Jacobs got one in the fourth to retake the lead. Koe then took control setting up a tricky triangle of rocks in five. Jacobs nailed a double takeout, but Koe was able to draw for two to pull ahead 4-3. Jacobs tried to go big with his final shot in six but Koe ended up stealing a point.

Jacobs (2-2) blanked the seventh to retain the hammer coming home but ran out of rocks and will take on Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock in Saturday morning’s C event qualifiers (7:30 a.m. CT). 

Scotland’s David Murdoch (3-1) scored two in the final end to edge Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher 6-5 and advance. Bottcher (2-2) takes on Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen in the Saturday morning C-qualifier.

Niklas Edin of Sweden and Charlottetown’s Adam Casey meet in the third C-qualifier.

NOTES: The Meridian Canadian Open is the fourth stop — and third major — of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday. … The event features a triple knockout where teams must win three games before they lose three in order to qualify for the playoffs.