STEINBACH, Man. — The playoff picture is finally set for the Crown Royal Players’ Championship playoffs.
Team John Shuster of the United States upset world No. 1 Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat 8-6 in the men’s tiebreaker Saturday morning.
Sweden’s Team Isabella Wranå advanced with a 9-1 rout over Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa to earn the No. 6 spot on the women’s side.
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TIEBREAKERS
It was a wild back-and-forth contest between Shuster and Mouat.
Shuster opened with the hammer but was forced to draw to the button for a single in the first. The 2018 Olympic gold medallist made an absolutely amazing tap to sit shot rock in the second, forcing Mouat to pick it out for one point as well.
Mouat attempted a double that eliminated one, but the second rock hung onto the 12-foot circle. That gave Shuster an open draw for three.
The 12-time Grand Slam champ Mouat bounced back big time in the fourth, connecting on a hit to score four to retake the lead.
Shuster took two back in the fifth and forced Mouat to hit for a single in the sixth to knot it up.
Although Shuster scored another deuce in seven, that handed Mouat the hammer coming home. Mouat went deep on his first skip stone, and Shuster didn’t leave him a shot to tie it up and force an extra end as they shook hands.
Mouat missed the playoffs for the first time since the Masters in December 2023. Through the team’s streak of 11 consecutive playoff appearances, Mouat had made it to at least the semifinals in all 11, with seven title victories.
Meanwhile, Wranå flipped the hammer, forcing Fujisawa to a single to start and converting for a deuce in the second.
Fujisawa came up light on her last in the third to concede a steal of two and things only got worse in the fourth end, as she clipped her own rock and gave up four more points. Another steal in five brought out the handshakes.
PLAYOFF BRACKET
Men’s Division
Quarterfinals: Shuster will face another Scottish club next, going up against Team Ross Whyte. China’s Team Xu Xiaoming and Italy’s Team Joël Retornaz play on the other side of the bracket.
Semifinals: Scotland’s Team Kyle Waddell and Switzerland’s Team Yannick Schwaller hold the byes.
Women’s Division
Quarterfinals: Wranå will take on Canada’s Team Kerri Einarson. South Korea’s Team Eun-ji Gim and Team Tabitha Peterson of the United States play on the other side of the bracket.
Semifinals: Switzerland’s Team Silvana Tirinzoni and Canada’s Team Rachel Homan hold the byes.
SATURDAY’S SCHEDULE
Tiebreakers: 11:30 a.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. CT
• Wranå 9, Fujisawa 1
• Shuster 8, Mouat 6
Quarterfinals: 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT
• Einarson vs. Wranå
• Gim vs. Peterson
• Whyte vs. Shuster
• Xu vs. Retornaz
Semifinals: 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT
• Tirinzoni vs. TBD
• Homan vs. TBD
• Waddell vs. TBD
• Y. Schwaller vs. TBD