Dec 22, 2019
WCT Recap: Sidorova, Matsumura win Karuizawa International in Japan
Russia's Anna Sidorova and Japan's Yuta Matsumura are going home with early Christmas presents after capturing the annual Karuizawa International in Japan this weekend on the World Curling Tour.
TSN.ca Staff
Russia's Anna Sidorova and Japan's Yuta Matsumura are going home with early Christmas presents after capturing the annual Karuizawa International in Japan this weekend on the World Curling Tour.
The 28-year-old Sidorova and her team of third Julia Portunova, second Olga Kotelnikova and lead Julia Guzieva didn't lose a game over the four day event. The Moscow rink went a perfect 8-0 with wins over Japan's Mayu Minami in the quarterfinal, 9-2, Tabitha Peterson of the United States in the semifinal, 6-3, and 2018 Olympic bronze medalists Satsuki Fujisawa in the championship game, 5-4.
Calgary's Team Chelsea Carey were the only Canadian rink in the 12-team field, but missed the playoffs with a 1-4 record. American Jamie Sinclair also missed the playoffs with a 1-4 record.
On the men's side of the draw, Team Matsumura won their fourth WCT event of the season by beating world champion Niklas Edin of Sweden in the final, 7-4.
Matsumura, third Tetsuro Shimizu, second Yasumasa Tanida and lead Shinya Abe also went a perfect 7-0, highlighted by a victory over Edmonton's Brendan Bottcher in the semis, 8-6.
Winnipeg's Braden Calvert, the other Canadian rink in the field, made it to the quarters where they lost to John Shuster of the United States.
Both the men and women had purses of four million yen or around $48,000 Canadian.