Jones beats Sigfridsson in Olympic rematch at Players’ Championship
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Reigning Olympic gold medallist Jennifer Jones defeated Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson 7-6 Thursday night at the Players’ Championship.
Tied 6-6 in the final end of the Sochi Winter Games championship rematch, Jones blasted a quarry of rocks with her first skip stone to sit shot rock and didn’t need to throw her last as Team Sigfridsson fourth Maria Prytz couldn’t get her last rock closer to the button.
Both teams now hold 3-1 records at the final Grand Slam of Curling event of the season.
Elsewhere, Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton trumped Ottawa’s Rachel Homan 7-2 in only five ends. Lawton led 2-1 after two and pulled away with a three-ender in the third followed by a steal of two in the fourth. Homan was held to another single in the fifth and shook hands to end the match early. Both teams are 2-2 in the tournament.
The reigning Masters champion Homan has an opportunity to earn a $100,000 CAD bonus if she also captures the Players’ Championship to sweep the pair of women’s Grand Slam of Curling titles.
Meanwhile, defending champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland (4-0) secured a playoff spot cruising to a 9-2 win in five ends over Calgary’s Crystal Webster (2-2). Muirhead knocked down three-enders in the first, third, and fifth while limiting Webster to singles in ends two and four.
Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni also remained undefeated at 4-0 and clinched a berth in the quarterfinals with a 7-5 win over Edmonton’s Valerie Sweeting (1-3).
Sherry Middaugh (1-3) of Coldwater, Ont., earned her first win at the tournament with an 8-6 victory over Julie Hastings (0-4) of Thornhill, Ont.
Four more round-robin draws are on tap Friday beginning at 9:30 a.m. AT with the top six teams overall qualifying for the weekend playoffs.
