Jones suffers 9-2 curling loss to Sweden's Wrana in opener of final 4-member team tourney

Jennifer Jones's final tournament as part of a four-player team got off to a rocky start with a six-end 9-2 loss to Sweden's Isabella Wrana on Tuesday at the Grand Slam of Curling's season-ending Players' Championship.

Winnipeg's Jones, who started with the hammer, scored twice in the first end before Wrana scored the next nine points, capping the match with a four-point sixth end.

Jones announced earlier this season that she is stepping away from the four-player game, ending a career that includes six national championships, two world titles, an Olympic gold medal and 17 Grand Slam victories.

The opening draw featured several lopsided matches. Scotland's Bruce Mouat blanked Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., 9-0 and Ross Whyte beat James Craik 6-1 in an all-Scottish showdown.

WATCH | Jones joins That Curling Show to reflect on sparkling career:

Jennifer Jones reflects on her career, legacy, and life after curling

10 months ago

Duration 7:11

Jennifer Jones joins That Curling Show ahead of her final appearance at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, with the announcement that she will be retiring at the end of this season. The skip reflects on her illustrious career, the influence of her dad on her journey, and what she plans to do next.

Kim Eunjung of South Korea scored two points in the eighth for a 4-3 win over Switzerland's Xenia Schwaller in the lone competitive result.

In the second draw, world champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa opened strong with a 7-1 win over Italy's Stefania Constantini.

On a day when multi-point steals seemed the norm, Homan had a steal of three in the sixth end before the Italians conceded.

In the third and final draw of the day, Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland — silver-medal winner at the women's world championship last month in Sydney, N.S. — defeated Kaitlyn Lawes of Winnipeg, Man., 7-3. Tirinzoni's steal of three in the seventh end was the turning point in an otherwise tight contest.

Elsewhere, Canadian champion Brad Gushue of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, scored triples in the third and fifth ends en route to a 6-5 win over world champion Niklas Edin of Karlstad, Sweden. Gushue is coming off a second-place finish at the world men's curling championship in Switzerland where he lost 6-5 to Edin in the final.

Mike McEwen of Saskatoon, Sask., counted three in the eighth end to defeat 2024 world bronze medallist Joel Retornaz of Trentino, Italy 9-7, while Anna Hasselborg of Sundbyberg, Sweden, scored a deuce in the eighth end to edge Satsuki Fujisawa of Kitami, Japan 6-5.

There are four draws scheduled for Wednesday.