Brad Gushue and Bruce Mouat are set to face off in Sunday’s championship final of the Co-op Canadian Open, part of the Grand Slam of Curling series. Both men’s teams advanced through Saturday’s thrilling semifinals, with Gushue’s squad from St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Mouat’s team from Stirling, Scotland, earning their spots in the final with commanding performances.
Gushue, along with his team of third Mark Nichols, second Brendan Bottcher, and lead Geoff Walker, defeated Yannick Schwaller of Geneva, Switzerland, 6-2 in their semifinal. Gushue’s team established control early, scoring a single in the second end before stealing one in both the third and fourth ends. Although Schwaller managed to score a deuce in the fifth end, Gushue responded emphatically with a three-point steal in the sixth. The St. John’s squad then ran Schwaller out of rocks, sealing the win and a place in the final.
In the other semifinal, Bruce Mouat and his team showed resilience and strategic play to defeat Joel Retornaz of Trentino, Italy, 4-2. Mouat took an early lead with a pair of points in the first end, then stole one in both the fourth and sixth ends to extend his advantage. Retornaz fought back, scoring a deuce in the seventh end, but Mouat’s consistency in the final end left Retornaz with no chance to score, and Mouat ran him out of rocks to secure the victory.
On the women’s side, Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni and Canada’s Rachel Homan both advanced to Sunday’s final after narrow wins in their respective semifinals. Tirinzoni edged Eun-jung Kim of South Korea 5-4, scoring a key single in the eighth end to seal the win. Homan’s team from Ottawa, which includes third Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, and lead Sarah Wilkes, defeated Seung-youn Ha of South Korea 6-1. Homan’s team was dominant, scoring three in the first end and adding another three in the fifth end to take a commanding 6-1 lead, ultimately cruising to victory.
Sunday’s finals promise to be exciting, with Gushue and Mouat looking to add another prestigious title to their resumes, while Tirinzoni and Homan compete for the women’s championship.
