CALGARY — Rachel Homan is moving on at the Humpty’s Champions Cup after eliminating reigning champ Jennifer Jones 9-5 in Saturday’s quarterfinals at WinSport Arena.
Homan, who fell to Jones in last year’s final, already led by one with the hammer in the seventh end and made a risky tick to tap out a counter and score three to bring out the handshakes.
The Ottawa native will play Alina Paetz in the evening semifinal draw (9:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. MT on Sportsnet One) after the Swiss skip scored a 5-4 victory over American Jamie Sinclair.
After Homan took two in the second end to open the scoring, Jones rebounded in the third with a three-ender to grab the lead.
The five-time Grand Slam champ Homan came back counting a trey of her own in four with a draw after Jones missed on a runback against two. Homan swiped an extra point in five to make it 6-3 as Jones continued to struggle with the hits, over-curling on a double attempt with the second counter jamming to stay for shot.
Jones, of Winnipeg, scored two in the sixth to close the gap to one, but shook hands after Homan’s second three-count.
The 2014 Olympic gold medallist Jones recently captured the WestJet Players’ Championship for her record seventh Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title.
Sarah Wilkes, an Alberta provincial champion with Team Kleibrink, is subbing at second on Team Homan as Joanne Courtney is representing Canada at the world mixed doubles championship with Reid Carruthers.
Champions Cup: Live scores & standings | TV schedule
Meanwhile, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg of Sweden edged Rogers Grand Slam Cup champ Val Sweeting 5-4 to reach the other side of the semifinals bracket.
Hasselborg takes on Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga, Ont., who scored huge late to brush aside Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni 9-4. Tirinzoni led by one, but gave up the lead big time when she crashed on a guard in the sixth and allowed Harrison to make an easy open hit with her last for five points. Tirinzoni wrecked in seven to concede a point and shook hands.
The men’s quarterfinals are set with Brad Gushue of St. John’s versus Niklas Edin of Sweden, Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., playing Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen, Toronto’s John Epping taking on Peter de Cruz of Switzerland and Calgary’s Kevin Koe colliding with John Morris of Vernon, B.C.
Epping ousted American John Shuster and Edin eliminated Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock in the morning tiebreaker draw to advance.
There will also be a new champion on the men’s side after Winnipeg’s Team Carruthers missed the playoffs.
Third Braeden Moskowy was skipping the team this week with Carruthers away. Derek Samagalski and Colin Hodgson also moved up spots in the lineup with new alternate/adviser Craig Savill, a two-time world and 12-time Grand Slam champion, making his debut with the squad at lead.
Watch at 6 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. MT on Sportsnet One, online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or gsoc.yaretv.com (international).