Gushue through to quarter-finals

YORKTON, Sask. — Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., scored two points in an extra end to defeat Scotland’s David Murdoch 7-5 Thursday at the Canadian Open curling tournament.

With the win in the ‘A’ qualifier, Gushue advances to the men’s quarter-finals of the triple elimination tournament, the third major stop on the Grand Slam of Curling circuit.

Murdoch drops down to the ‘B’ competition, but can advance to the playoffs with a win in his next match.

Elsewhere, Toronto’s John Epping also advanced into the playoffs with a 9-3 win over Calgary’s Kevin Koe in the night draw. Epping opened the match with a deuce in the first before giving himself a lead with five in the third end. He would add another deuce in the fourth.

Koe will get another chance to advance to the quarter-finals in a ‘B’ competition qualifier against Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Jacobs advanced to the ‘B’ finals with a 3-2 win over Charlottetown’s Adam Casey.

Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen suffered his second loss of the day – his first coming against Epping – when he fell 7-2 to Sweden’s Niklas Edin in the ‘B’ competition.

Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher advanced to the next round of ‘B’ competition with a 9-3 win over Sven Michel of Switzerland. He kept that momentum going in the evening draw with an 8-1 rout of American John Shuster.

Bottcher edged Brier champion Pat Simmons of Calgary 7-6 earlier in the day. Simmons next plays Michel in a must-win ‘C’ competition match. In other Thursday night draws, Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers got past Saskatoon’s Steve Laycock 7-3 and Jim Cotter of Vernon beat Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., 5-3.

Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones and Allina Paetz of Switzerland advanced to the quarter-finals of the ‘A’ competition in women’s action.

Jones, the 2014 Olympic gold medallist, toppled Edmonton’s Val Sweeting 7-5 in the afternoon draw. A single in the eighth end clinched the victory.

Paetz scored three in the seventh end to hold off Ottawa’s Rachel Homan.

In the ‘B’ bracket, Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont., used an extra end to edge Anna Sidorova of Russia 6-5, Eve Murhead of Scotland dominated Switzerland’s Binia Feltscher 10-3 and Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland used a deuce in the eighth end to slip past Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque.