Most anticipated women’s matches at the Players’ Championship
The Players’ Championship is brimming with must-see matches that’ll be sure to have fans wanting more at the fourth and final stop of the Grand Slam of Curling season.
We covered the men’s side on Thursday, now let’s take a look at the women’s round-robin matches taking place at the Players’ Championship, running April 15-20 in Summerside, P.E.I.
It was tough to narrow it down but here are the five we just can’t wait to watch.
Jones vs. Tirinzoni (Draw 1, April 15, 7 p.m. AT)
Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones will have the target on her back as the Olympic gold medallist and skipping the No. 1 ranked team in the world. Jones kicks off the tournament with a tough challenge against Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland. Tirinzoni enters the Players’ Championship as the winner of the most recent tour event earning the Pomeroy Inn & Suites Prairie Showdown title in Grande Prairie, Alta., last month. Team Jones was a perfect 11-0 at the Olympics, the first women’s curling team to win gold undefeated, and it’ll be interesting to see if they maintain that momentum.
Muirhead vs. Lawton (Draw 4, April 16, 4:30 p.m. AT)
A clash between two of the top-ranked teams in the world with Scotland’s Eve Muirhead, the defending Players’ champion, facing Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton. Muirhead, ranked third overall, won the world championship in 2013 and earned the bronze medal at the Sochi Olympics. Lawton ranks fourth and won the Players’ Championship the previous time it was hosted in Summerside in 2012.
Homan vs. Muirhead (Draw 7, April 17, 1 p.m. AT)
Ottawa’s Rachel Homan won the Masters in November and could score a $100,000 bonus if her team also captures the Players’ Championship. It will not be easy with a Draw 7 matchup against Muirhead. The two teams met in the Masters final where Homan broke a 2-2 tie with a three-ender in the fifth during the 7-5 title victory.
Jones vs. Sigfridsson (Draw 9, April 17, 8:30 p.m. AT)
A rematch of Olympic proportions, literally, as Jones and Margaretha Sigfridsson of Sweden faced off for gold at the Sochi Winter Games. It was an emotional night when a close measurement gave Jones the go-ahead single in the eighth and a steal of two in the ninth sealed the 6-3 win and the gold medal.
Lawton vs. Homan (Draw 9, April 17, 8:30 p.m. AT)
Two of the top teams in Canada, and the world, collide in Draw 9. Homan edged Lawton 7-6 with a single in the 10th end during their matchup at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and this one should also come down to the wire.
