CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Anna Hasselborg and the Sweden curling team saw their unbeaten run at the Winter Olympics end on Tuesday when they lost 8-6 to Canada, but despite the defeat, other results meant they were able to seal their spot in the semifinals.
Sweden won its first six round-robin games but was beaten by Rachel Homan’s Canada, the two-time world champions, in its first loss of the competition.
“What! I didn’t know. Oh, wow. OK, this made me very happy,” said Hasselborg, when informed that her team had qualified for the semifinals.
“We’re qualified. Woo! OK, that’s good news and also a little weird, because I’m very disappointed with my own performance there. But that was a bandage!
“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.”
Hasselborg’s team has now reached the semifinals for three straight Games, winning gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 and bronze in Beijing four years ago.
Canada’s win, its fourth, means it is tied for fourth with South Korea.
“Every game here is huge for us,” Homan said.
“We have to keep playing our game, keep staying within ourselves. We’re just taking it one shot at a time right now.”
There is also a tie for second in the standings between Switzerland and the United States, who both won on Tuesday.
Silvana Tirinzoni’s Switzerland, the four-time world champions, beat South Korea 7-5, while the Tabitha Peterson-led U.S. clinched a 10-3 win over Denmark.
Host Italy claimed its second win of the competition, beating Japan 8-6.
Teams play nine matches in the round-robin stage, which continues on Wednesday. The top four advance to the semifinals on Friday.
–Reuters, special to Field Level Media
