By Hritika Sharma
BEIJING (Reuters) – Anna Hasselborg’s Sweden hung on for a narrow victory over Jennifer Jones-led Canada in the battle between the past two Olympic women’s champions while 2018 medallists South Korea and Japan also won at the National Aquatics Centre on Saturday.
The Swedes, who won gold four years ago in Pyeongchang, bounced back from their 8-2 thrashing by Britain to edge Canada 7-6 on a measurement in the final end to hand the Sochi 2014 winners their second straight round-robin defeat in Beijing.
“I think about Jennifer as one of the greatest of all time,” Hasselborg said after facing Jones on the Olympic stage for the first time.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a rivalry, I have so much respect for Jennifer. I love playing against her. It’s always a great battle. We knew it would come down to the last rock, and it did.”
Japan pulled off a stunning comeback to beat Denmark 8-7 in a thrilling contest with skip Satsuki Fujisawa delivering an audacious double-takeout with the final stone for three points to seal victory.
South Korea’s “Garlic Girls” breezed past the Russian Olympic Committee after a flurry of points in the middle of the game secured a score of 9-5, with the 10th end cut short after the Russians ran out of stones to overcome the deficit.
Teams play nine matches in the round-robin stage, which continues later on Saturday, with the top four advancing to the semi-finals next week.
The men’s competition also continues later in the day with Sweden taking on Canada.
(Reporting by Hritika Sharma; Editing by Ken Ferris)
