Jones’ victory sets up dream final
NORTH BAY, Ont. — It’s as close as you can get to a curling pick ’em.
Canada’s Jennifer Jones and Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg earned tight victories Saturday to set up a dream final at the women’s world curling championship. No. 1 versus No. 2 in the world rankings. The reigning Olympic champion against the 2014 Olympic champion.
Two teams in their prime playing for gold in front of a rocking crowd at the North Bay Memorial Gardens. This afternoon’s matchup should be a doozy.
“I think it’s going to be a matter of who is the most prepared to deal with what comes at them because there’s going to be a lot of great shots on both sides,” Canadian coach Elaine Dagg-Jackson said. “I think it’s going to be a hard-fought battle.”
Hasselborg advanced with a 7-6 victory over Russia’s Victoria Moiseeva in the early semifinal. Jones held on for a 9-7 victory over American Jamie Sinclair in the evening.
Jones jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but the Americans chipped away and tied the game with a single in the ninth end. The Winnipeg skip came through with a hit for a deuce in the 10th for her 13th straight victory. “It’s always hard to get an early lead because you have to really defend it for a long time,” Jones said. “We know that it’s really tough to do that, but I liked how we played.”
Jones will need to be better against the confident Hasselborg, who thrives under pressure and isn’t intimidated by a road crowd. Sweden beat South Korea’s Kim Eun-jung to win Olympic gold in Pyeongchang last month.
However, one major difference between Canada and South Korea is experience. Jones, who won world gold in 2008, is playing in her sixth career world championship.
“It’s going to be tough to beat them and we know that,” Swedish coach Maria Prytz said. “But it’s not impossible.”