Swedish Curling Team Advances to Olympics Semi-Finals Despite First Loss to Canada

Sweden's women's curling team suffered their first defeat of the Winter Olympics, falling 8-6 to Canada in round-robin play. Despite the loss, the Swedish squad led by Anna Hasselborg still secured a spot in the semi-finals thanks to other match results.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy – The Swedish women’s curling team’s perfect record came to an end Tuesday at the Winter Olympics, but Anna Hasselborg and her squad still found reason to celebrate after securing their place in the semi-finals.

The Swedish team, which had dominated their first six round-robin matches, fell 8-6 to Canada’s Rachel Homan-led squad, marking their initial setback of the tournament. Canada, holding two world championship titles, handed Sweden their first defeat in what proved to be a closely contested match.

Hasselborg expressed surprise and joy upon learning of her team’s semi-final qualification despite the loss.

“What! I didn’t know. Oh, wow. Okay, this made me very happy,” Hasselborg remarked when told of their advancement. “We’re qualified. Woo! Okay, that’s good news and also a little weird, because I’m very disappointed with my own performance there. But that was a bandage!”

The Swedish skip reflected on the competitive nature of the match, adding, “I think this game could have gone either way, with two teams trying to figure it out. It’s just like proof that we have done something really right, all the other games.”

This marks the third consecutive Olympics where Hasselborg’s team has reached the semi-final round. The squad captured gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Games and earned bronze four years later in Beijing.

Canada’s victory brought their tournament record to four wins, placing them in a tie for fourth position with South Korea.

“Every game here is huge for us,” Homan commented following the win. “We have to keep playing our game, keep staying within ourselves. We’re just taking it one shot at a time right now.”

Tuesday’s action also saw Switzerland and the United States both claim victories, creating a deadlock for second place in the standings. Switzerland, led by Silvana Tirinzoni and boasting four world championship titles, defeated South Korea 7-5. Meanwhile, Tabitha Peterson’s American team dominated Denmark with a commanding 10-3 victory.

In other Tuesday results, host nation Italy secured their second tournament win by defeating Japan 8-6.

The round-robin format continues Wednesday, with each team scheduled to play nine total matches. The top four finishers will advance to Friday’s semi-final competition.