Beijing 2022 women's semi-finals curling round-up: Japan and Great Britain through to Olympic final

PyeongChang 2018 bronze medallists Japan defeated Switzerland 8-6 with Team GB knocking out reigning champs Sweden 12-11 in 11 ends.

5 minBy Chloe Merrell
Team Japan celebrate their victory over Switzerland in the women's curling semi-finals
(2022 Getty Images)

Japan and Great Britain are through to the Beijing 2022 women’s curling finals after recording semi-final wins on Friday evening (18 February).

Team GB survived a breathless, topsy-turvy clash with defending Olympic champions Sweden to come out on top 12-11 in an extra-end thriller.

Their victory guarantees Britain two medals at the Games after Bruce Mouat's rink reached the men's final on Thursday.

In a rematch of their semi-final at PyeongChang 2018, Team GB got off to the worst possible start.

Cumulative errors enabled Sweden to set up a high-scoring end, and when skip Eve Muirhead’s final shot came up short of the house, Anna Hasselborg made a simple draw to score four in the opening end.

But Britain responded immediately as Hasselborg’s double take-out attempt went awry leaving her shooter and two British stones sitting in the house.

And Muirhead delivered a perfect take-out to score a triple for her team and reduce the deficit to one.

Still down 5-4, Britain looked in trouble in the fifth end but another failed double take-out attempt by Hasselborg left Britain lying three.

Despite evading the guard erected by Muirhead's final stone, Hasselborg’s draw with the hammer came up short and handed Britain a steal of one to level the scores at 5-5 going into the break.

(2022 Getty Images)

After exchanging two-point ends, the score was once again tied at 7-7.

The eighth saw a very crowded house leaving Hasselborg and Muirhead with plenty to chew on at the business end of the eighth.

After some deliberation with their coach, Sweden opted to peel the guard forcing Muirhead into a big final draw.

That then left Hasselborg with a chance to promote her own stones into the busy button with all sorts of ricochets and outcomes possible. In the end, Sweden scored one to inch ahead.

The ninth again saw a flurry of rocks around the button and, by the time the turn of the skips arrived, four British stones encircled one Swedish shot stone.

But Muirhead used her hammer to perfection, knocking a Swedish stone into her own which subsequently bumped out the shot stone. The outcome was a score of four, and suddenly Britain were ahead for first time at 11-8.

Despite peeling guards and trying to minimise Sweden's scoring chances, Hasselborg somehow manufactured a triple to take the match into an extra end.

But with the hammer advantage, Britain made no mistakes in trying to keep the house as empty as possible.

And when Hasselborg’s last rock pulled up just outside the British shot stone, the Swedes conceded to spark delight among the British supports in the stands.

Without needing to use their final stone, Team GB won 12-11 to book their place in Sunday's final with Muirhead guaranteed her best Olympic placing after bronze at Sochi 2014 and fourth at PyeongChang.

Now she has the chance to emulate Rhona Howie, then known as Rhona Martin, who skipped Team GB to gold at Salt Lake City 2002.

They now face Japan, who beat them in the third-place match in PyeongChang, while Sweden play Switzerland for bronze on Saturday.

(2022 Getty Images)

Beijing 2022 women’s curling semi-final results: Japan stun Switzerland to guarantee upgrade on PyeongChang bronze

Joining Britain in the women’s curling final are Japan after they defeated world champions Switzerland 8-6 in an similarly exciting affair.

A blank first end was followed by exchanges of singles before Japanese skip Fujisawa Satsuki blew the game wide open in the fifth.

A string of mistakes by the Swiss rink left the door wide open for Fujisawa to capitalise with the hammer advantage and, sure enough, with a sublime double takeout Japan clinched four points to lead 5-2 at the halfway mark.

Things got worse for the Swiss after the break as fourth Alina Paetz missed a tough final draw to hand Japan a one-point steal to extend their lead to four.

But they roared back in the seventh when Paetz's perfect takeout scored three to close the gap to one.

A bad mistake error by Japanese third Yoshida Chinami in the ninth end almost turned the game as her double takeout attempt hit a guard and subsequently promoted a Swiss stone into the house.

Fujisawa, however, was on hand to tidy up with two impeccable double takeouts to ensure that Switzerland scored just one.

Heading into the 10th end, it was Japan with a 7-6 lead and the hammer. Despite pressure from the Swiss, Fujisawa was left with a routine draw for a single to send her rink into the final.

The bronze medal match from PyeongChang is now the gold medal match in Beijing with Japan seeking to become Asia's first Olympic curling gold medallists.

(2022 Getty Images)

Beijing 2022 women’s curling semi-final results in full:

  • Great Britain 12-11 Sweden
  • Switzerland 6-8 Japan

Schedule: Women’s curling medal matches at Beijing 2022

The women’s bronze medal match, to be contested by Switzerland and Sweden will take place on Saturday 19 February.

20:05 Women’s Bronze Medal Game - Sweden v Switzerland

The women’s gold medal match, to be contested by Japan and Britain will take place on Sunday 20 February.

09:05 Women’s Gold Medal Game - Great Britain v Japan

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