Jones edges Einarson to improve to 2-0 at WFG Masters
SASKATOON — Team Jennifer Jones moved up to a 2-0 record in the WFG Masters with a 5-4 victory over Team Kerri Einarson during Draw 6 Wednesday at Merlis Belsher Place.
The Winnipeg native Jones also beat Team Kate Cameron 5-3 Tuesday to open the Grand Slam of Curling tournament and said it feels great to pick up two wins against two fellow Manitoba clubs.
“It’s such a hard tournament, all the teams are so good, it’s stressful,” Jones said. “It’s great to be 2-0 but still lots of games left and we have to win again. We weren’t as sharp today as I’d like, so try to be a little bit sharper tomorrow.”
Einarson, from Gimli, opened with the hammer but had to settle for a single point in the first end. A crowded house in the second end saw Einarson hit off a rock from the side and redirect in, however, Jones was still sitting two and opted for the deuce by throwing her last away rather than disrupt the pile and risk it.
Jones extended her lead to 3-1 in the fourth after Einarson wrecked on a guard to give up a steal.
The 10-time Grand Slam champion Jones forced Einarson to draw for a single in the fifth against three counters and then just had to make it into the house with her last rock in the sixth to extend her advantage to 5-2.
Einarson, who has won five titles in the series, hit and stuck around for a single in the seventh as Jones held the hammer coming home with a two-point cushion. Jones faced two counters on her last and made an open peel to eliminate one and secure the win.
“I thought we kind of controlled the scoreboard but made some big shots when we had to, to get ourselves out of a little bit of trouble,” Jones said. “We managed to get some opportune points when they would make a mistake and that was the difference in the game.”
Elsewhere, South Korea’s Team Eun-Ji Gim also improved to a 2-0 record with a 6-5 extra-end victory over Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa (1-1).
Team Delaney Strouse of the United States defeated Italy’s Team Stefania Constantini 5-2 to score their first-ever win in a top-tier event in the Grand Slam of Curling series. Strouse drew level to a 1-1 record while Constantini dropped to 0-2.
Team Cameron, of Winnipeg, climbed to a 1-1 record following a 5-3 win over Team Tabitha Peterson (0-2) from the United States.
WFG Masters: Scores / Standings | Draw Schedule | Broadcast Schedule
UP NEXT
The WFG Masters continues with Draw 7 at 5 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. local time at Merlis Belsher Place. Tickets are available at the box office and online at mbptickets.universitytickets.com/w.
Broadcast coverage begins Thursday with Draw 10 at 1 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. local time on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ (Canada) and GSOClive.com (international).
NOTES
The WFG Masters 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 evening. The top eight teams in both divisions advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals. If necessary, tiebreakers will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff spots. … The semifinals are also scheduled for Saturday with both finals on tap Sunday.
