Matt Dunstone is through to the semifinals in a Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event for the first time as a skip with his Regina-based squad.
The 24-year-old Dunstone advanced out of the quarterfinals in the Masters after eliminating Team Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, 5-2 Saturday afternoon at Memorial Gardens.
The Saskatchewan team had never been past a quarter-final at a Grand Slam event before.
"We are playing some of our best curling as a team for a year," the young skip told CBC's Mike Harris.
Dunstone now meets No. 1 seed Team Bruce Mouat of Scotland with a championship opportunity on the line.
Mouat’s patience paid off as he blanked five consecutive ends before scoring four points in the eighth end to beat Team Ross Paterson from Scotland 6-3.
Mouat remains undefeated after going 4-0 through group play to top the table.
It was a quick turnaround for Paterson, who knocked off Calgary’s Team Kevin Koe 7-6 in the morning tiebreakers.
Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., ended Team Brendan Bottcher’s GSOC title streak with a 6-2 victory.
Bottcher, who beat Gushue in pool play Friday afternoon, was looking to pick up where he left off last season winning the final three men’s events in the series.
Gushue, who has won 11 Grand Slam titles, now goes up against Toronto’s Team John Epping.
The defending champion Epping continues his title defence after eliminating Team Glenn Howard of Penetanguishene, Ont., 7-3. With Glenn away on a trip to Scotland, his son Scott Howard moved up from third to skip this week and Adam Spencer subbed at vice.
Epping defeated Team Peter de Cruz of Switzerland 5-3 in the morning tiebreakers to qualify for the playoffs.
Earlier Saturday, Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa defeated Team Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta., 7-3 in the lone women’s tiebreaker game.
Fujisawa will play No. 1 seed Team Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland in the women’s quarterfinals. The other matches see Winnipeg’s Team Jennifer Jones vs. Team Sayaka Yoshimura of Japan, Team Tracy Fleury of East St. Paul, Man., vs. Switzerland’s Team Elena Stern and the featured game of Sweden’s Team Anna Hasselborg vs. Team Kerri Einarson of East St. Paul, Man.
You can watch the women’s quarterfinals on Sportsnet at 4 p.m. ET and both semifinals on Sportsnet 360 at 8 p.m.
With files from Pinty's Grand Slam of Curling site
