Brad Jacobs emerged victorious over Brendan Bottcher with a 5-3 win in an all-Canadian men’s quarterfinal at the Co-op Invitational of the Grand Slam of Curling in Victoria. This victory extended the Olympic champions’ unbeaten record to 5-0 in the tournament.
On the women’s side, Canadian Kerri Einarson secured a spot in the semifinals by scoring three points with the final stone, narrowly defeating Japan’s Miyu Ueno 6-5. This victory served as redemption for Einarson after her earlier 9-4 loss to Ueno during the round-robin stage on Wednesday at the Save-On-Foods Memorial Centre.
Einarson’s upcoming challenge in the semifinals will be against South Korea’s Gim Eun-ji. The match is scheduled for Saturday at 10:30 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on CBC Sports Primetime.
In the men’s semifinals, Jacobs is set to face Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller, the top-ranked skip in the world. Schwaller secured his spot by defeating reigning Brier champion Matt Dunstone of Winnipeg with a score of 5-3.
The other women’s semifinal will feature Switzerland’s Xenia Schwaller against South Korea’s Kang Bo-bae, while the men’s semifinal will see Swiss skip Marco Hösli competing against Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell for the final berth.
Jacobs’ team from Calgary, participating in their first event in six months, maintained a lead throughout the quarterfinal match on Saturday. An impressive performance saw Jacobs scoring consistently, ultimately securing the win over Bottcher.
The victory has put Jacobs’ team in contention for their first Grand Slam title together. A win this weekend would also mark Marc Kennedy’s 18th Slam title, equalling Kevin Martin’s men’s record.
Meanwhile, Bottcher faced defeat against his former teammates for the second time in a week. Kennedy, Brett Gallant, and Ben Hebert, who previously won the 2023 Players’ Open with Bottcher, joined Jacobs. Their earlier round-robin encounter ended in a 6-3 victory for Jacobs.
The Grand Slam of Curling action in Victoria continues to intensify, with both men’s and women’s teams vying for a chance at the prestigious title.
