Canada’s Einarson tops Japan to advance to world curling semifinals

Team Canada skip Kerri Einarson watches her shot against Australia at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Calgary, Friday, March 20, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

CALGARY — Kerri Einarson’s curling team was playoff sharp in a 6-5 win over Japan to reach the women’s world curling championship semifinals.

Canada capped pool play Friday with a 10-2 record behind Switzerland at 11-1 atop the standings.

The two countries earned direct entry into Saturday evening’s semifinals.

Japan will face Turkey, and Sweden takes on South Korea in playoff games earlier Saturday.

The winners join the Canadians and the Swiss in the final four. The medal games are Sunday.

Einarson, third Val Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Karlee Burgess out of Manitoba’s Gimli Curling Club prevailed Friday evening over a tough Satsuki Fujisawa side that was the Olympic silver medallist in 2022.

Sweeting’s shooting percentage was 99 per cent, Birchard 93 and Burgess 97.

Einarson executed big-weight hits for multi-point ends. The skip was assisted by smart line calling by her vice Sweeting and brushing by her front end.

Einarson’s last throw through a tight port for a double takeout in the eighth end scored two points for a 6-3 lead.

Einarson’s triple takeout in the sixth also scored a deuce. Her wide double hit in the third held Japan to one.

“We definitely upped it this game,” Einarson said. “We knew we had to. Japan’s a wonderful team.

“Right from lead to skip, we played really well and put a lot of pressure on them. Very good rock placement. We had a couple that slid a little deep but we definitely didn’t get any full misses. We got something out of every shot and I think that’s key.”

Bounce back

The Canadians recovered from an extra-end loss to Norway the previous evening to thump Australia 11-2 in the afternoon.

Despite a tight duel with Japan, Einarson was able to appreciate the lively support her team heard from a full house at Calgary’s WinSport Event Centre.

“It’s so loud,” she said. “I love it.”

Einarson’s last world championship in the building in 2021, which was also her first, was played without fans and under COVID-19 restrictions.

Canada meets the winner of Saturday’s playoff game between Japan (9-3) and Turkey (7-5), so Fujisawa will be aiming for a rematch with Canada.

The Swiss await the victor between Sweden and South Korea (8-4).

Einarson and company seek their first women’s world curling crown after Canada’s Rachel Homan won back-to-back titles in 2024 and 2025.

After three games below 80 per cent in the midsection of the tournament, Sweeting’s 99 was a tournament high at third. Her Japanese counterpart Tori Koana shot 75 per cent.

“I felt kind of close all week and just wasn’t always getting them, but I thought that we did a good job of figuring them out and managing them well and just tried to keep throwing them close,” Sweeting said.

“It was nice to get those results and make those shots when the team needed them.”

Breather

After eight games in four days — including three straight days of playing “splits” in morning and night draws — Einarson welcomed a shorter road to the semifinals.

“It’s a relief. It feels quite nice actually,” she said. “It’s still like sudden death and we still have a job to do. We’re definitely excited and ready for it.”

Einarson, Sweeting and Birchard were bronze medallists in the 2022 and 2023 world championships with lead Briane Harris.

Ranked third in pool play both years, Einarson took the longer route to the semifinals.

They won their first Canadian championship in 2020, but the world championship was cancelled that year because of the pandemic.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 20, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press