Matt Dunstone defeated Brendan Bottcher 7-1 in a battle of Canadian skips on Thursday morning at the Grand Slam’s HearingLife Tour Challenge.
Dunstone, from Winnipeg, MB, scored three points in the fourth end and added three more in the sixth for the victory.
Bottcher, from Spruce Grove, Alta., threw a game-low 75 per cent. His team recently moved into top spot in the men’s world rankings.
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In other early games, Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., dropped a 6-5 decision to Switzerland’s Yannick Schwaller in an extra end.
Norway’s Magnus Ramsfjell edged Wouter Gosgens of the Netherlands 7-6 and Aaron Sluchinski, of Airdrie, Alta., topped American Korey Dropkin 5-4.
Winnipeg’s Kaitlyn Lawes was the lone Canadian skip in action in Draw 10. Her team scored a deuce in the seventh end in a 6-3 win over American Tabitha Peterson.
South Korea’s Eun Ji Gim beat Sweden’s Isabella Wrana 8-3 and Norway’s Marianne Roervik edged Scotland’s Rebecca Morrison 7-6. Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni topped Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa 4-2.
Two more draws were scheduled for later in the day at the Gale Centre.
Play continues through Sunday.