News Masters

ABBOTSFORD, B.C. — Edmonton’s Kevin Martin scored a big three-ender in the second during a 6-4 win over Thomas Ulsrud of Norway in Draw 5 Wednesday at the Masters Grand Slam of Curling.

The win improved Martin’s record to 1-1 at the tournament following a 7-6 loss to China’s Rui Liu in an extra end during Tuesday night’s opener. Ulsrud also sits level at 1-1 with a 7-5 win over American Tyler George during the morning draw.

Martin maintained the three-point advantage late as the teams alternated singles in three and four and again in five and six. Ulsrud finally closed the gap with a deuce in seven, but Martin tacked on another point coming home with the hammer in eight.

Elsewhere, five-time Masters champion Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., jumped out to an early three-point lead scoring a deuce in the first and stealing one in the second and propelled past Russia’s Andrey Drozdov 5-3. Howard climbed to a 2-0 record while Drozdov is on the opposite side of the ledger at 0-2.

Rasmus Stjerne of Denmark earned his second win on the day outlasting Toronto’s John Epping 8-7. Stjerne (2-0) scored four in the third end to take a 5-2 lead, but it didn’t last long as Epping (1-1) responded with a three-count in the fourth to tie it heading into the break. The teams exchanged deuces in five and six and Stjerne iced it with the winning point in eight.

In women’s play, Scotland’s Eve Muirhead fended off a furious late charge from Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., to bounce back and win 8-7 in an extra end. The reigning world champion Muirhead was up 5-0 early scoring a deuce in first followed by a steal of two in the second and one in the third. After Middaugh got on the board with a three-ender in four, Muirhead made it 7-3 with a deuce in five. Middaugh erased the deficit and force OT with a single in six, a steal of two in seven and one in eight. Both teams hold 1-1 records.

Russia’s Anna Sidorova climbed to 2-0 topping Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 6-4. Tied 2-2 at halftime, Sidorova took the lead for good with a deuce in five and a steal of one in six. Jones (1-1) got a deuce in seven to draw within one and Sidorova put another point on the scoreboard in eight.

Round-robin play runs through to Friday with playoffs starting Saturday and the finals set for Sunday.