Canadian Curlers Advance in HearingLife Tour Challenge

Canadian curlers Rachel Homan and Kerri Einarson made significant strides in the HearingLife Tour Challenge by reaching the women’s quarter-finals. On Friday, Homan, who is both the reigning world champion and national titleholder, managed to score three points in the final end of her match against Switzerland's Xenia Schwaller, finishing with a score of 6-4. This victory marked Homan's third win in the triple-elimination format of the Grand Slam of Curling, thereby earning her team a spot in this weekend's playoffs.

Einarson, a four-time Canadian champion, also progressed to the quarter-finals after a hard-fought 5-4 victory over Winnipeg's Kaitlyn Lawes. After suffering a defeat in her opening game, Einarson's team bounced back with three consecutive wins. Both Schwaller and Lawes found themselves with records of 2-2, which relegated them to the "C" bracket of the event. In the men's competition, Mike McEwen progressed after outplaying reigning men's world champion Niklas Edin from Sweden, improving his record to 3-1.

In a bid to maintain his momentum, McEwen is building on a solid season that included a victory at the PointsBet Invitational in Calgary. Edin, on the other hand, faces a crucial match against his rival Brad Gushue, needing a win to stay in the competition. The later matches on Friday saw South Korea’s Eun-Jung Kim eliminate 2018 Olympic gold medalist Anna Hasselborg with a 6-3 victory, while Sweden's Isabella Wrana secured her place in the quarter-finals by defeating the American team traditionally led by Tabitha Peterson.

Additionally, amid the other match results, Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland notched a notable win against Winnipeg's Matt Dunstone, advancing to the quarter-finals himself. Meanwhile, Calgary's Kevin Koe was unable to secure his spot, facing elimination after a loss and needing a win against James Craik to stay alive. With the competition intensifying, one final draw was set to determine the remaining quarter-finalists for the women’s event, with playoffs scheduled to begin Saturday afternoon and final matches on Sunday.