CHARLOTTETOWN — Italian skip Stefania Constantini scored her second big upset of the HearingLife Tour Challenge with a 6-4 win over defending Canadian and world women's champion Rachel Homan in Wednesday's second draw.
Constantini pulled ahead 3-2 with two points in the fifth end, then followed with a steal of one in the sixth end and two in the seventh.
That left Homan needing four points in the eighth and final end to draw level, and she fell short with a deuce.
Constantini's win at the triple-elimination debut event of the Grand Slam of Curling season followed a 6-4 victory over four-time Canadian champion Kerri Einarson of Gimli, Man., on Tuesday.
It was a rare loss for Homan, whose Ottawa-based foursome was coming off a title at last week's PointsBet Invitational in Calgary.
Einarson rebounded with a 7-4 win over Delaney Strouse in Wednesday's second draw. It was the second loss for the American skip, who was defeated 9-3 by Homan on Tuesday.
In other results from Wednesday's second draw, Sweden's Isabella Wrana edged Edmonton's Selena Sturmay 8-7 and South Korea's Gim Eun-Ji beat Switzerland's Xenia Schwaller 7-4.
In men's action, Brad Gushue of St. John's, N.L., and Niklas Edin renewed their longtime rivalry, with the Swede coming out on top 7-5.
Gushue and Edin have met in four world men's championship finals. Edin has won three, including a matchup earlier this year in Schaffhausen, Switzerland.
In other scores from Wednesday's third draw, Scotland's Bruce Mouat downed Calgary's Kevin Koe 7-1, men's PointsBet champion Mike McEwen of Winnipeg defeated Korey Dropkin of the United States 8-3 and Winnipeg's Matt Dunstone beat Italy's Joel Retornaz 6-2.
In Wednesday's morning draw, Switzerland's Yannick Schwaller downed Scotland's Cameron Bryce 10-3, Switzerland's Michael Brunner defeated Winnipeg's Reid Carruthers 6-5, James Craik of Scotland beat American John Shuster 7-5 and Brad Jacobs's Calgary-based team beat Scotland's Ross Whyte 7-3.
Another women's draw was scheduled for later on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2024.
The Canadian Press
