GUELPH, Ont. — Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg secured a spot in the WFG Masters playoffs after brushing aside Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni 8-2 Thursday night.
Hasselborg booked a berth in the women’s quarterfinals with an unblemished 3-0 record while handing Tirinzoni (2-1) her first defeat in the Grand Slam of Curling tournament.
Starting with the hammer proved to be key for Hasselborg, who made Team Tirinzoni pay after a couple of misses from fourth Alina Pätz in the second end to make an open hit for three points and open the scoring.
Tirinzoni sat shot rock in the third but with Hasselborg sitting two stones frozen on top, it wasn’t worth the risk of attempting to go for a multiple score and possibly giving up a steal. Pätz threw her last away to take the one point and get on the board.
A steal in the fifth allowed Tirinzoni to close the gap to 3-2, but Hasselborg made them pay again in the sixth bumping into the pile to jostle things around and count another trio of points.
Pätz’s double raise in the seventh went sideways to concede two more points and out came the handshakes.
Hasselborg wraps up round-robin play Friday against Team Eun-ji Gim with Tirinzoni facing Team Eun-jung Kim.
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WFG Masters on Sportsnet
The Grand Slam of Curling season continues with the WFG Masters. Watch live coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ from Thursday, Jan. 16, through to the finals on Sunday, Jan. 19.
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Kim topped Gim 6-2 to clinch a playoff spot during a matchup between two of the top South Korean clubs. Team Kim (3-0) is playing short-handed this week as third Kyeong-ae Kim is away at a mixed doubles event.
Gim was eliminated from playoff contention at 0-3.
Japan’s Team Ikue Kitazawa improved to a 2-1 record with a 5-3 victory over Switzerland’s Team Xenia Schwaller (1-2).
Team Danielle Inglis of Ottawa earned a first win in the tournament by defeating Italy’s Team Stefania Constantini 7-4. Inglis (1-2) remained in contention while eliminating Constantini (0-3) from the mix.
Round-robin play continues Friday with Draw 13 at 8 a.m. ET / 5 a.m. PT.
Broadcast coverage on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ resumes with Draw 14 at 11:30 a.m. ET / 8:30 a.m. PT.
The WFG Masters is the fourth 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. … A new rule is being tested this week where teams will lose the hammer if they blank two consecutive ends. … Round-robin play runs through to Friday evening. The top eight teams in both divisions qualify for the playoffs. … If necessary, one tiebreaker round will be held Saturday morning. … The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday with both finals slated for Sunday.