SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. — Ottawa’s Rachel Homan delivered a clutch final draw in the eighth end for a single to edge Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 6-5 Saturday in the Humpty’s Champions Cup women’s quarterfinals.
Homan, winner of three Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles and the Rogers Grand Slam Cup this season, is off to the semifinals to face Kerri Einarson of Winnipeg.
Einarson, the Tour Challenge Tier 2 winner, earned a convincing 7-2 win over Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton to advance.
Meanwhile, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones doubled up on Edmonton’s Val Sweeting 6-3.
The reigning Olympic champion Jones goes up against Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland, who took down Ayumi Ogasawara of Japan 9-4.
Tirinzoni, the Tour Challenge Tier 1 winner, lost her first two games but in a constant must-win situation has now captured four straight high-pressure victories to make it into the semis.
The men’s quarterfinals start at 5 p.m. MT (Sportsnet ONE) followed by the men’s and women’s semifinals at 8:30 p.m. MT (Sportsnet East, Ontario, West & Pacific).
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NOTES: The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the seventh and final event of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at the Sherwood Park Arena Sports Centre. … The event is the second of two new tournaments added to the schedule this year along with the Tour Challenge, which kicked off the season in September. … Teams had to win an event over the course of the season in order to qualify for the Humpty’s Champions Cup. … The Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling returns for the 2016-17 season starting with the Masters, Oct. 25-30, in Okotoks, Alta.