Sports

Fujisawa defeats Jones in emotional game at Princess Auto Players' Championship – The Grand Slam of Curling

Published

7 months ago

April 11, 2024

TORONTO — It was an emotional moment for Satsuki Fujisawa’s team on Wednesday night in the Princess Auto Players’ Championship as they faced off against Jennifer Jones for possibly the last time.

The iconic Winnipeg skip is retiring from women’s curling following a decorated career winning Olympic gold, two world championships, six Scotties Tournament of Hearts titles and 10 Grand Slam of Curling titles.

After Fujisawa picked up the 9-4 win, all four members of the Japanese club presented Jones with a gift bag as they shared lots of hugs, laughs and tears.

“She is our idol,” Team Fujisawa third Chinami Yoshida said. “When we came here, we talked about why we wanted to come to the last Grand Slam, we really wanted to see Jones.

“This is her last [event], so we are really glad we got to play against Team Jones.”

The game was also pivotal for Team Fujisawa, seeded last in the 12-team women’s division, as they grabbed their first win of the week to improve to a 1-2 record and remain in contention.

“We came here lucky No. 12, bottom of the rankings, so that’s why we really just want to enjoy the curling here,” Yoshida said. “Losing is pretty tough for us, but we always have the confidence to win here.”

Fujisawa started the match with the hammer and narrowly avoided two guards to make a tap and convert for a deuce in the first end.

Jones (1-2) was able to level things in the second with a great angle raise takeout for her deuce.

After singles back and forth, Fujisawa didn’t hammer her last in the fifth hard enough as her blank attempt failed to remove Jones’s shot rock to give up a steal.

Fujisawa recovered with a draw for two in the sixth and stole one in the seventh to hold a 6-4 advantage without the hammer coming home.

Jones misfired her last shot in the eighth end as Fujisawa tacked three more points on the board.

Yoshida was also appreciative of the Japanese community in Toronto, and those from outside of Toronto, who have come out to support them this week.

“We always are so surprised tons of Japanese fans come to watch our games,” Yoshida said with a smile. “Also not only people living in Toronto, some Japanese fans came to Toronto just to watch our games, so we have to win for them.”

Elsewhere in Draw 7, Team Silvana Tirinzoni scored three in the sixth and stole one in the seventh to defeat Team Xenia Schwaller 7-3 in an all-Swiss showdown.

Tirinzoni move up to a 3-0 record while Schwaller, who is making her Grand Slam series debut, dropped to 1-2.

In men’s play, Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., earned an 8-5 victory over Winnipeg’s Team Reid Carruthers, skipped by Brad Jacobs.

Gushue, who earned silver at the world championship this past Sunday, rebounded from an 8-5 loss earlier in the day to Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat to improve to a 2-1 record.

“We’re good. Energy is probably a little bit lower than we would like in an event like this, but we’re doing the best we can when we’re out there,” Team Gushue third Mark Nichols said. “We’re giving ourselves a chance. Brad’s playing really well, so try to leave him with some shots for multiple points. We feel good, obviously not great, but we knew what we were signing up for when we got here.”

Jacobs (1-2) had the hot hand to start and pulled off an amazing shot to score a deuce in the first that set the tone for the latest chapter of the “Battle of the Brads.”

“He’s made a ton of those shots against us over the years, and he’s throwing the rock really well, so sometimes you can’t take it all away,” Nichols said. “In the first end today was a prime example. We guarded and he got a thin slash for two and he nailed it.

“Obviously, you don’t want him attempting them all of the time. He’s going to make more than he’s going to miss, but he’s one of the best players to play the game and he’s making a lot of those shots. You try to put as much pressure on the rest of the team as you can and try not to leave him too many of those.”

Gushue bounced back big time with a solid second end capped with a tap for three points to pull ahead.

Tied 4-4 after five with singles going steady, Gushue grabbed the lead for good in six after Jacobs attempted a double, but his shooter sailed straight through the port untouched. That allowed Gushue an easy open draw to drain another three-pointer.

Jacobs went for another tricky runback in the seventh and couldn’t quite pull it off as planned with Gushue’s rock jamming to hold Team Carruthers to just a single.

That handed Gushue the hammer for the final end, up 7-5, and the 14-time Grand Slam champion added another point without needing to throw his last as Jacobs was unable to sit two for a potential steal to force an extra.

“It feels good. We needed to at least get one win out of our two-game day,” Nichols said. “I think getting to 2-1 now and it’s one game a day for the next couple of days, we can try to get a little more rest. We need at least one more win.”

Italy’s Team Joël Retornaz picked up their first win of the week with a 6-3 decision against Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller. Both clubs are at 1-2.

UP NEXT

The Princess Auto Players’ Championship resumes Thursday with Draw 8 at 8 a.m. ET. Tickets are available at the Mattamy Athletic Centre box office and online at Ticketmaster.ca.

Broadcast coverage begins with Draw 9 at 11:30 a.m. ET on Sportsnet, Sportsnet+ (Canada) and gsoclive.com (international).

NOTES

The Princess Auto Players’ Championship is the fifth and final Grand Slam of Curling event of the 2023-24 season featuring the top 12 men’s teams and top 12 women’s teams from around the world. … Both divisions are split into two pools of six for round-robin play. The best six teams advance to the playoffs with the top two teams receiving byes to the semifinals. If necessary, a tiebreaker round will be played Saturday morning to determine the final playoff berths. … The quarterfinals and semifinals are scheduled for Saturday with the finals on tap Sunday.

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Sports

Champions Trophy host Pakistan says it’s not been told India wants to play cricket games elsewhere

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.

“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”

Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.

The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.

Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.

“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”

Pakistan hosted last year’s Asia Cup but all India games were played in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model for the tournament. Only months later Pakistan did travel to India for the 50-over World Cup.

Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.

“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”

The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.

“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”

Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.

“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.

___

AP cricket:

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Dabrowski, Routlife into WTA doubles final with win over Melichar-Martinez, Perez

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.

Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.

The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.

The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.

Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.

Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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Sports

Winger Tajon Buchanan back with Canada after recovering from broken leg

Published

1 day ago

November 8, 2024

Anne Joseph

Inter Milan winger Tajon Buchanan, recovered from a broken leg suffered in training at this summer’s Copa America, is back in Jesse Marsch’s Canada squad for the CONCACAF Nations League quarterfinal against Suriname.

The 25-year-old from Brampton, Ont., underwent surgery July 3 to repair a fractured tibia in Texas.

Canada, ranked 35th in the world, plays No. 136 Suriname on Nov. 15 in Paramaribo. The second leg of the aggregate series is four days later at Toronto’s BMO Field.

There is also a return for veteran winger Junior Hoilett, who last played for Canada in June in a 4-0 loss to the Netherlands in Marsch’s debut at the Canadian helm. The 34-year-old from Brampton, now with Scotland’s Hibernian, has 15 goals in 63 senior appearances for Canada.

Midfielder Ismael Kone, recovered from an ankle injury sustained on club duty with France’s Marseille, also returns. He missed Canada’s last three matches since the fourth-place Copa America loss to Uruguay in July.

But Canada will be without centre back Derek Cornelius, who exited Marseille’s win Sunday over Nantes on a stretcher after suffering an apparent rib injury.

The Canadian men will prepare for Suriname next week at a camp in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

“We are looking forward to getting the group together again with the mindset that there is a trophy on the line,” Marsch said in a statement. “We want to end 2024 the right way with two excellent performances against a competitive Suriname squad and continue building on our tremendous growth this past summer.”

The quarterfinal winners advance to the Nations League Finals at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with the two semifinals scheduled for March 20 and the final and third-place playoff March 23, and qualify for the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Thirteen of the 23 players on the Canadian roster are 25 or younger, with 19-year-old defender Jamie Knight-Lebel, currently playing for England’s Crewe Alexandra on loan from Bristol City, the youngest.

Bayern Munich star Alphonso Davies captains the side with Stephen Eustaquio, Jonathan Osorio, Richie Laryea, Alistair Johnston and Kamal Miller adding veteran support.

Jonathan David, Cyle Larin and Theo Bair are joined in attack by Minnesota United’s Tani Oluwaseyi.

Niko Sigur, a 21-year-old midfielder with Croatia’s Hadjuk Split, continues in the squad after making his debut in the September friendly against Mexico.

Suriname made it to the Nations League quarterfinals by finishing second to Costa Rica in Group A of the Nations League, ahead of No. 104 Guatemala, No. 161 Guyana and unranked Martinique and Guadeloupe.

“A good team,” Osorio said of Suriname. “These games are always tricky and they’re not easy at all … Suriname is a (former) Dutch colony and they’ll have Dutch players playing at high levels.”

“They won’t be someone we overlook at all,” added the Toronto FC captain, who has 81 Canada caps to his credit.

Located on the northeast coast of South America between Guyana and French Guiana, Suriname was granted independence in 1975 by the Netherlands.

Canada has faced Suriname twice before, both in World Cup qualifying play, winning 4-0 in suburban Chicago in June 2021 and 2-1 in Mexico City in October 1977.

The Canadian men, along with Mexico, the United States and Panama, received a bye into the final eight of the CONCACAF Nations League.

Canada, No. 2 in the CONCACAF rankings, drew Suriname as the best-placed runner-up from League A play.

Canada lost to Jamaica in last year’s Nations League quarterfinal, ousted on the away-goals rule after the series ended in a 4-4 draw. The Canadians lost 2-0 to the U.S. in the final of the 2022-23 tournament and finished fifth in 2019-20.

Canada defeated Panama 2-1 last time out, in an Oct. 15 friendly in Toronto.

Goalkeepers Maxime Crepeau and Jonathan Sirois, defenders Joel Waterman, Laryea and Miller and Osorio took part in a pre-camp this week in Toronto for North America-based players.

Canada Roster

Goalkeepers: Maxime Crepeau, Portland Timbers (MLS); Jonathan Sirois, CF Montreal (MLS); Dayne St. Clair, Minnesota United FC (MLS).

Defenders: Moise Bombito, OGC Nice (France); Alphonso Davies, Bayern Munich (Germany); Richie Laryea, Toronto FC (MLS); Alistair Johnston, Celtic (Scotland); Jamie Knight-Lebel. Crewe Alexandra, on loan from Bristol City (England); Kamal Miller, Portland Timbers (MLS); Joel Waterman, CF Montreal (MLS).

Midfielders: Ali Ahmed. Vancouver Whitecaps (MLS); Tajon Buchanan, Inter Milan (Italy); Mathieu Choiniere, Grasshopper Zurich (Switzerland); Stephen Eustaquio, FC Porto (Portugal); Junior Hoilett, Hibernian FC (Scotland); Ismael Kone, Olympique Marseille (France); Jonathan Osorio, Toronto FC (MLS); Jacob Shaffelburg, Nashville SC (MLS); Niko Sigur, Hadjuk Split (Croatia).

Forwards: Theo Bair, AJ Auxerre (France); Jonathan David, LOSC Lille (France); Cyle Larin, RCD Mallorca (Spain); Tani Oluwaseyi, Minnesota United (MLS).

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

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