YORKTON, Sask. — Scotland’s Eve Muirhead fended off a late charge from Edmonton’s Val Sweeting to advance to the Meridian Canadian Open semifinals with a 6-5 victory Saturday.
Muirhead, the defending champion at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event, fired her final shot coming home through the goalposts for the takeout and the winning single.
Team Muirhead opened with hammer, scoring one in the first, and rode the steal train swiping singles in three consecutive ends.
Sweeting had a chance to hit and score three with her last in the third but her shooter clipped a guard and took out her own stone to give up a steal of one. A close measurement gave Muirhead another steal in four to lead 4-0 at the break as Sweeting struggled.
The Saskatchewan-born Sweeting bounced back with a hit to score three in the fifth, forced Muirhead to a single in six and knotted it up with a deuce in seven.
Muirhead meets Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones, who advanced with a 6-2 win over Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont.
Jones took two in the first and stole two in the second while Fleury settled for one in three. Jones blanked four and five and scored another deuce in the sixth. Fleury could only get one in seven and shook hands.
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Calgary’s Chelsea Carey made a double takeout with her last shot in the eighth to secure an 8-6 victory over reigning world champion Alina Paetz of Switzerland.
After Paetz settled for one in the first, Carey got a deuce in the second and stole two in three. Paetz matched right back with a deuce in four and swiped a pair in five as Carey faced two with her last but she rubbed the guard to give up the steal.
Carey got a three-ender in six to reclaim the lead and Paetz was forced to draw for one in seven.
Carey clashes with Ottawa’s Rachel Homan, who moved on with a 7-2 win over Anna Sidorova of Russia. Homan got a deuce in the second and stole two in the third for a 4-0 lead. Sidorova was held to one in four and Homan added another pair in five. The teams split singles in six and seven and shook hands.
Team Homan look to win their third consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title following wins at the Masters and National.
NOTES: The Meridian Canadian Open is the fourth stop — and third major — on the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday. … The event features a triple knockout where teams must win three games before they lose three in order to qualify for the playoffs.
