SWIFT CURRENT -- The first championship round qualifiers have been decided at the RBC Dominion Securities Showdown currently underway at the Swift Current Curling Club.
The ultra-elite event features some of the top men’s and women’s rinks from all over the world battling it out for $50,000 Thursday through Monday.
Switzerland’s Xenia Schwaller, third Selina Gafner, second Fabienne Rieder and lead Selina Rychiger won their third-straight game to emerge as one of two A-side qualifiers in the women’s draw on Friday morning.
They opened the event with a 7-2 win over Edmonton’s Serena Gray-Withers before advancing to the A final with a 7-1 victory against Ottawa’s Danielle Inglis. There, a 7-2 win over Michigan’s Delaney Strouse sent the Zurich-based rink to the championship round.
Calgary’s Kayla Skrilk and her rink of third Margot Flemming, second Ashton Skrlik and lead Geri-Lynn Ramsay had similar success through the first two days of competition and took the other A side qualifying berth.
Skrlik’s run included an 8-4 win over Saskatoon’s Ashley Thevenot and 6-4 victory over Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes before a steal in the eighth end against Victoria’s Kayla MacMillan and a 6-5 win sent her to the championship round.
MacMillan takes on Kamloops’ Corryn Brown and Strouse takes on St. Adolphe, Man.’s Kate Cameron in two of the B qualifiers on Saturday at 8 a.m. Regina’s Michelle Englot and Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa play in the other.
The men’s draw will see the A event semifinals taking place Saturday, with the top two qualifiers being decided Sunday.
New Westminster, B.C.’s Brent Pierce -- who defeated St. John’s Brad Gushue in their quarter-final -- will take on Saskatoon’s Rylan Kleiter in one semifinal at 2 p.m. The winner of that contest will face the victor out of an all-Winnipeg battle between Reid Carruthers and Matt Dunstone, who play during the 11:15 a.m. draw.
The other A semifinals will see Edmonton’s Brad Jacobs take on Toronto’s John Epping and Saskatoon’s Mike McEwen duelling Minnesota’s Korey Dropkin, also at 11:15 a.m.
The first men’s championship round qualifiers will be decided during the 8 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. draws on Sunday.
Be sure to keep an eye on www.curlingzone.com for up-to-the-minute updates from the RBC Dominion Securities Western Showdown throughout the weekend.
