24 October 2025
Six semi-final teams confirmed at Pan Continental
On the women’s side of the US Steel Pan Continental, China and United States remain unbeaten and secured their spots in the weekend semi-finals. The men’s field saw all four play-off teams get confirmed in the afternoon, with Canada, United States, China and Japan locking in their spots.
Women’s competition
China started their day with a 10–4 victory over New Zealand. With regular skip Wang Rui sidelined due to injury, third Han Yu took over skipping duties.
China then edged out defending champions Canada 7–6, thanks to a precision draw for two in the tenth end. After the win, Han Yu said, “When we started the game, we felt under pressure, but by the end, we were just focussing on our own teamwork.”
United States also posted two wins, beating Japan 6–5 with a last-stone hit for two and then defeating Australia 11–5.
American skip Tabitha Peterson reflected on the tight win against Japan: “There was a little back and forth there, and some ends weren’t our best, but eventually, we made a good one. Overall, we’re happy with how we played. You never give up, and ten ends is a long game.”
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Chasing last two play-off spots
Before their loss to China, Canada had beaten Korea by 11-9. Trailing 4–1 after giving up four in the second end, the Canadians steadily closed the gap and regained the lead with a three-point hit by skip Rachel Homan in the eighth end.
Third Tracy Fleury commented, “We definitely had to be patient there. It was a good battle, we always have tough games against them.”
Japan bounced back from their loss to the United States with a commanding 12–2 victory over Mexico in seven ends. Meanwhile, Korea defeated New Zealand 9–4 and now shares fifth place with Australia, who had beaten Mexico 10–2 earlier in the day.
Australian skip Helen Williams said, “Every single win is worth fighting for. We’re pleased we had that win. We showed a lot of character there because we had a really wobbly game yesterday.”
Men’s competition
Day four of the US Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships in Virginia, Minnesota saw the men’s A-Division round robin pass its halfway mark.
Four nations: Canada, United States, China and Japan have confirmed qualification for the weekend play-offs. In a tight Thursday afternoon session of men’s round-robin play, Japan took on Korea in one of the day’s closest matches. Korea led 4-3 in the eighth end when Japan’s fourth player Riku Yanagisawa made a precise tap-up to score four and swing the result to 7-4 in Japan’s favour.
Korea responded with two in the ninth, but Japan held on to win 7-6 and secure their play-off spot.
Reflecting on the performance, skip Yamaguchi Tsuyoshi said, “It feels really good to qualify for the play-offs. This competition is at a really high level with good teams. Today’s game was good.”
China and hosts continue strong runs
China also locked in a play-off berth with a 7-5 win over the Philippines. With the game tied at 5-5 in the ninth end, China’s skip Xu Xiaoming played a hit to score two and take control. The Philippines ran out of stones in the tenth, giving China their fourth win of the event.
Meanwhile, the United States kept their unbeaten record intact with a decisive 11-4 victory over New Zealand. The Americans started strongly, scoring threes in both the first and third ends, and sealed the win with a four in the eighth when skip John Shuster made a confident hit to finish the game. The result, combined with earlier wins, confirmed the United States’ progression to the weekend’s play-offs.
“The expectation we put on ourselves is to come here and make the play-offs,” said Shuster. “To be able to do that in our home country and area will make it even more special at the weekend.”
Canada stay perfect at the top
Canada remain perfect and at the top of the standings, also qualifying with ease. They defeated Australia 8-2 in just six ends after building a 5-1 lead. In the fifth, Australia’s fourth player Tanner Davis missed a draw for one, handing Canada a steal of three and moving to an 8-1 advantage. That win, added to earlier triumphs, secured their play-off spot.
Skip Brad Jacobs said, “It’s great to be 5-0. We have four really big games ahead of ourselves and we’re excited to get those games underway.”
After four days of competition, Canada and the United States share top spot with 5-0 records. China and Japan follow on 4-1 each, both having secured qualification. Korea and the Philippines each sit at 1-4, while Australia and New Zealand remain winless as the round-robin heads into its final stages.
How to watch the US Steel Pan Continental Curling Championships
All A-Division games will be broadcast on the Curling Channel, however, there may be restrictions due to broadcast partner agreements.
Follow the live scores and results here.
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