Anna Hasselborg Defeats Kaitlyn Lawes 7-3

Anna Hasselborg Defeats Kaitlyn Lawes 7-3 at KIOTI National

Sweden's Anna Hasselborg cruised to a 7-3 victory over Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes on Tuesday at the KIOTI National in St. John’s. The win marked another strong performance for Hasselborg, who was supported by Sara McManus at third, Agnes Knochenhauer, and Sofia Mabergs on the front end.

Hasselborg started with the advantage of the last rock after winning the pre-game draw to the button. However, the opening end didn’t go as planned, with Lawes stealing a single point to take an early lead.

Lawes, making her return to the competition after giving birth to her daughter Ella just three weeks ago, was joined by her regular team of Selena Njegovan at third, Jocelyn Peterman at second, and Kristin MaCuish at lead.

In the second end, Hasselborg responded with two points to take the lead, and after Lawes blanked the third end, Hasselborg stole two more points in the fourth to open up a 4-1 advantage at the game's halfway point.

Lawes briefly closed the gap in the fifth end, scoring two points to make it 4-3. However, it was the last time she would score in the game. Hasselborg extended her lead with a single point in the sixth, followed by a steal of two points in the seventh to seal the 7-3 victory.

This win gives Hasselborg a career record of 25 wins and 14 losses in her eight appearances at the KIOTI National, with previous victories in 2019 and 2021.

Hasselborg will return to the ice early Wednesday morning, facing Korea’s Eunji Gim at 8:00 AM Newfoundland Time (NT). The two have met 12 times in their careers, with each player boasting six wins. Gim, however, has won the last three encounters, and this will be their first meeting of the 2024 season.

Looking ahead, Hasselborg will complete the round-robin with matches against Momoha Tabata of Japan (Silver medalist at last season’s World Junior Championships) on Thursday at 4:00 PM NT, and against Switzerland's Xenia Schwaller (gold medalist at the 2024 Winter Olympics) on Friday at 8:30 AM NT.