Hosts win thriller over Norway
Hosts Switzerland and undefeated Scotland are into the final of the World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Geneva.
Eve Muirhead and Bobby Lammie overwhelmed Germany 8-3 in the first semifinal. The second semi was a thrilling see-saw battle that saw the Swiss win 8-7 in an extra-end over Norway.
Germany and Norway had delivered notable upsets of Sweden and Canada in Friday’s earlier qualifying matches.
Germany’s Pia-Lisa Scholl and Klaudius Harsch did open a 2-1 lead but Muirhead and Lammie—winners of Olympic gold and silver in Beijing— made a three in the third end for a 4-2 lead, and never looked back.
Céline Stucki-WCF“That was a clinical performance, and we controlled the game,” said Muirhead. “I personally didn’t have my best game, but Bobby was outstanding. He made lots of crucial shots and made my life easy at the end.”
In the other semi, the Swiss opened with three points and watched Norway put three straight points on the board for a tie game.
Switzerland’s Alina Paetz and Sven Michel then scored another three. After swapping singles, German siblings Maia and Magnus Ramsfjell came through with an epic three-ender to tie the game at 7-7, forcing an extra end.
It was a slight miss from Paetz that set up the combination runback, which had to be made perfectly to count all three Norwegian stones in the house.
Norway applied more pressure in the extra frame, and it took an equally thrilling runback from Paetz to win it on the last stone of the game.
Céline Stucki-WCF“We’re very relieved right now,” said Sven Michel.
“It felt very intense the last few ends. We missed a few chances, they missed a few chances, but in the end (Alina) made a very great shot and we’re very happy.”
Paetz and Michel won the world mixed doubles title back in 2011.
Germany and Norway will meet for the bronze medal on Saturday, before Scotland versus Switzerland decides the gold and silver medals.