Players’ Championship Live: Sweeting meets Hasselborg
TORONTO — It’s down to the final day of the WestJet Players’ Championship with semifinal action kicking things off Sunday morning.
Edmonton’s Val Sweeting stole in the eighth end to swipe a 6-5 win over Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg to also clinch the Rogers Grand Slam Cup.
Sweeting made a double takeout on her first skip stone to set up the blank and hit and rolled out on her last. Forced to draw for one in the second, Sweeting came up short and gave up a point. Hasselborg came around to draw in between two Sweeting stones, but Sweeting sprung it loose to score her deuce.
Hasselborg handed a steal in four as she attempted a double takeout getting the first one but her shooter rolled high and missed the second. Sweeting was light and tight on a guard with her last in five, allowing Hasselborg to draw for four. Sweeting took two in the sixth tie it up. Hasselborg blanked in seven and had to draw on her last but couldn’t take out Sweeting’s shot stone.
Sweeting ousted reigning world champ Rachel Homan in an extra end during the quarterfinals while Hasselborg needed an OT win over Allison Flaxey in a tiebreaker just to qualify for the playoffs and then defeated top-seed Tracy Fleury to reach the semis.
Sweeting will play five-time Players’ winner Jennifer Jones, who took down Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 8-3.
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Niklas Edin topped Scotland’s Kyle Smith 6-2 to advance to the final. Edin’s win also clinched the Rogers Grand Slam Cup as the overall season champion.
Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen scored two in the eighth for a 5-4 win over defending champ Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L.
NOTES: The WestJet Players’ Championship is the fourth and final major of the year. It’s also the penultimate event of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … The season wraps up with the Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 25-30 at WinSport Arena in Calgary. Of the remaining Players’ Championship teams, only Smith still needs to qualify as the other seven teams have booked their spots by winning high-profile tournaments earlier in the season.
