Homan, Einarson and Kim stay undefeated at KIOTI National to clinch playoff spots
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. — Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan is maintaining the momentum in the Grand Slam of Curling series at the KIOTI National.
Team Homan beat Team Stefania Constantini of Italy 7-3 during Draw 9 action Thursday morning at the Mary Brown’s Centre to remain unbeaten in the tournament with a 3-0 record and secure a spot in the playoffs.
Homan ran the table through the Co-op Canadian Open last month to capture her record-extending 16th Grand Slam women’s title.
Constantini (0-3) was eliminated from playoff contention.
KIOTI NATIONAL: DRAW SCHEDULE / RESULTS | STANDINGS | BROADCAST SCHEDULE
Team Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., and South Korea’s Team Eun-jung Kim also improved to 3-0 to earn berths for the quarterfinals.
Einarson bounced back for an 8-5 victory against South Korea’s Team Seung-youn Ha (1-2).
Down 4-1, Einarson scored two in the fifth and stole one in the sixth to make it all square. After Ha was held to a single in the seventh, the six-time Grand Slam champ Einarson completed the comeback with a score of four points in the eighth end.
Kim stole the winning point in the eighth end to win 7-6 over Winnipeg’s Team Chelsea Carey (0-3).
Christina Black and her Halifax-based club earned their first win of the week with a 6-3 decision against Sweden’s Team Isabella Wranå. Both teams are 1-2 in the tournament.
Team Black received an invitation to the KIOTI National after winning the HearingLife Tour Challenge Tier 2 women’s title.
In the afternoon women’s draw, Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg (3-0) qualified for the playoffs with a 6-4 win over Japan’s Team Momoha Tabata (1-2).
Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni stole two points in the eighth end to swipe a 5-3 victory from Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa. Both clubs are at 2-1.
Japan’s Team Sayaka Yoshimura edged Team Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg 6-5 and Switzerland’s Team Xenia Schwaller held off South Korea’s Team Eun-ji Gim 7-6 in extra ends. All four teams now hold 1-2 records ahead of the final day of round-robin play.
UP NEXT
Round-robin play continues with Draw 10 at noon NT / 10:30 a.m. ET.
Watch live on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
Live streaming of every game is available on free preview via HomeTeam.
NOTES
The KIOTI National is the third Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 16 of the top men’s teams and 16 of the top women’s teams from around the world. … Round-robin play runs through to Friday. The top eight teams in both divisions advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. If necessary, one tiebreaker draw will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff spots. … The semifinals are also scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.
