Canada’s Brad Jacobs has secured a spot in the men’s gold-medal match at the Pan Continental Curling Championships after edging out China 5-4 in a tense semifinal clash in Virginia, Minn. Vice-skip Marc Kennedy played flawlessly, executing a triple-takeout to keep the score tied at 4-4 in the ninth end. With the last stone advantage in the final end, the team from Calgary maintained control of the scoring area and clinched the winning point.
The upcoming final on Sunday will see a rematch between Canada and the United States, with the Americans advancing after a convincing 9-3 victory over Japan. Canada had previously defeated the U.S. 6-5 in the last round-robin match, maintaining a flawless record throughout.
In the women’s division, defending champion Rachel Homan and her Ottawa-based team secured a spot in the final by defeating the United States 8-3 in the semifinals. They are set to face China’s Team Wang Rui in the championship showdown. Team Homan, fresh off their 19th Grand Slam championship win in Nisku, Alta., will be aiming for another title in the Sunday final.
China, who finished the round robin stage with a perfect 7-0 record, secured their spot in the final by defeating South Korea’s Team Eunji Gim in a thrilling extra-end finish in the other semifinal match.