News Masters

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., needed an extra end to defeat Sven Michel of Switzerland 7-6 Friday and cap round-robin play with a perfect 4-0 record in the Grand Slam of Curling’s Masters tournament.

Howard held the hammer and eased his final stone to the button to edge Michel in Draw 10.

The five-time Masters champion eyed a score of three in the opening end but his shot clipped Michel’s guard and he was only able to walk away with one point. The teams exchanged singles in the second and third ends and Michel (2-2) earned a three-ender in the fourth to lead 4-2 heading into the break. Michel’s lead was short-lived, however, as Howard picked up deuces in the fifth and seventh ends.

Michel’s final stone in the eighth took out Howard’s rock but over-curled and scored just one to tie it 6-6.

Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen (1-3) scored a 6-5 victory over Russia’s Andrei Drozdov, who fell to 0-3 in the round-robin.

Elsewhere, 17-time Grand Slam champion Kevin Martin of Edmonton is off to the playoff round following a 6-2 win over American Tyler George. Martin (3-1) scored three deuces in the match and the two rinks shook hands after the seventh end. George is winless at the Masters with a 0-3 record and faces Winnipeg’s Jeff Stoughton in Draw 12.

New Zealand’s Peter de Boer (1-3) heads home on a high note upsetting Niklas Edin of Sweden 6-5. The reigning world champion Edin dropped to a 1-2 record.

In women’s action, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones scored three in the sixth and two in the eighth to win 7-5 over Erika Brown from Madison, Wis. Jones finished the round-robin with a 3-1 record and moves onto the playoff round while Brown fell to 0-3 and was eliminated from contention.