Brad Gushue of St. John’s, Newfoundland, cruised to a 6-1 victory over Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers in Tuesday’s opening draw at the Co-op Canadian Open in Nisku, Alberta. The key moment came in the sixth end, when Gushue scored three points to put the game out of reach.
Gushue’s win was part of an action-packed opening day at the Grand Slam event, which features some of the best curling teams from around the world.
In other early results, Italy’s Joel Retornaz claimed an impressive 8-3 win over Calgary’s Kevin Koe, while Sweden’s Niklas Edin also triumphed 8-3 against Scotland’s James Craik. Scotland’s Ross Whyte defeated Switzerland’s Michael Brunner 7-4 in another strong showing.
In the women’s draw, Italy’s Stefania Constantini delivered an impressive performance, scoring three in the fourth end to secure a 7-3 win over Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes.
Other results saw Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa edge Switzerland’s Xenia Schwaller 4-3, South Korea’s Eun-ji Gim beat compatriot Seung-youn Ha in an all-Korean clash, and Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni triumphed 6-4 over Japan’s Ikue Kitazawa.
Later in the day, Brad Jacobs of Calgary managed a 4-2 win over Matt Dunstone of Winnipeg, and Mike McEwen of Saskatoon dominated John Shuster of Duluth, Minnesota, 9-3, with back-to-back deuces in the fifth and sixth ends.
The tournament format sees 16 teams in both the men’s and women’s fields, with each team playing a round-robin within their four-team pools. The top eight teams from each draw will advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday. The finals are scheduled for Sunday.
As the competition heats up, all eyes will be on who can maintain their momentum and secure one of the coveted spots in the quarterfinals.