News Tour Challenge

CRANBROOK, B.C. — There will be a new Tier 1 women’s champion crowned at the Tour Challenge after Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque rolled right past Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland 7-1 in Saturday morning’s tiebreaker draw and into the quarterfinals.

Rocque stole one in the second and two in the third to swipe an early 3-0 lead. The two-time world junior winner Rocque limited Tirinzoni to just a point in four and then cruised adding a single in five, a steal of one in six and two more in seven.

Tirinzoni captured the inaugural Tour Challenge Tier 1 women’s title last season in Paradise, N.L.

The playoff brackets are now set with Rocque taking on top-seed Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont.; Edmonton’s Val Sweeting meets Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont.; Ottawa’s Rachel Homan faces Michelle Englot and her Winnipeg-based team and Anna Hasselborg of Sweden plays Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones (watch on Sportsnet & SN NOW at Noon MT).

Meanwhile, Sweden’s Niklas Edin made it through on the men’s side defeating Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 6-3 in a rematch of the recent WFG Masters final. Edin edged Jacobs with a steal in an extra end to capture his first career Grand Slam title at the Masters two weeks ago in Okotoks, Alta.

Norway’s Thomas Ulsrud also advanced knocking out American John Shuster 6-1 in six ends. 

The men’s bracket has Edin colliding with John Morris of Vernon, B.C.; Team Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., versus Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock; Ulsrud up against Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen and Scotland’s Kyle Smith clashing with Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers (watch on Sportsnet ONE & SN NOW at 4 p.m. MT).

NOTES: The Tour Challenge is the second of seven events on the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling schedule. … The Tour Challenge runs through to Sunday at Western Financial Place (all Tier 1 games and Tier 2 finals) and Memorial Arena (Tier 2 games from round-robin play to semifinals).