News Masters

GUELPH, Ont. — Sealed with a kiss: Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg captured an eighth Grand Slam of Curling title at the WFG Masters.

Hasselborg took two points in the eighth end to fend off Canada’s Team Rachel Homan 7-5 Sunday in the women’s final at the Sleeman Centre.

The team of Hasselborg, third Sara McManus, second Agnes Knochenhauer and lead Sofia Mabergs posted a perfect 7-0 record in the tournament to collect $42,000 from the $400,000 combined prize purse.

“It feels amazing,” said Hasselborg, who last won a Grand Slam title at the Players’ Championship in April 2022. “It’s hard to find words for how proud I am of the work we are doing. We decided to have two years that were more of a maintenance. This year, we weren’t certain if it would pay off but all the hard work is definitely paying off.

“I feel so proud of the way we are playing and to get the win out of that is also showing that we’re doing the right things. I’m so proud and I definitely feel this is the start of our climb and really get back to top positions and being great again.”

Homan defeated Hasselborg in last month’s KIOTI National final to earn a record-extending 17th Grand Slam of Curling women’s title.

Although it was a rematch, this was no repeat, especially since Hasselborg opened with the hammer this time around.

The two-point conversion was good as Hasselborg scored a deuce, but she left the door open for Homan to hit and stick around in the second to tie it up.

“Last time we came out without the hammer and even though we stole in the first end, it’s still different,” Hasselborg said. “To get an early two there, even though they took a two back, we still had momentum. I think it could be those little things in these kinds of games.

“I did have a few picks but we still managed to play enough good rocks and were able to have hammer in the last. The draw for the win is the dream.”

Homan sat three stones in the house during the third to force Hasselborg to draw to the four-foot circle for a single.

Hasselborg stole a point in the fourth end to take a 4-2 advantage as Homan was looking for a double but the angle didn’t work out and she missed the shot rock.

Homan regrouped to take two in the fifth then forced Hasselborg into a tough tap in the sixth, needing to bump shot rock off the button and out of the four-foot circle while facing three.

It was looking like Homan was setting up for a multiple score in the seventh until she nicked the guard with her first skip stone. Although Homan got the flat double takeout on her last, she couldn’t save her shooter for two and counted only the equalizing single point.

Homan froze on top of Hasselborg’s lone stone in the house during the eighth end to cast doubt on who held shot rock. No worries for Hasselborg, who drew to the button to guarantee the win and was awarded the second point regardless.

“I think in the sixth end, and even in the fourth end, the ice was trickier, but then I saw the draw on Sofia’s in the eighth,” Hasselborg said. “I felt pretty comfortable in that path. Just because I saw Sofia release it and it was so clean, I thought about making something similar to Sofia’s.”

The Ottawa-based team of Homan, third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes received $34,000 from the prize pool.

It was the fourth straight Grand Slam final for Homan, who finished runner-up in the HearingLife Tour Challenge before sweeping through the Co-op Canadian Open and KIOTI National.

Scotland’s Team Ross Whyte won its first Grand Slam of Curling title earlier Sunday with a 5-4 victory over Canada’s Team Brad Jacobs in the men’s final.

UP NEXT

The Grand Slam of Curling season picks up with the Players’ Championship, April 8-13, at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.