Skip Jennifer Jones delivers a rock while playing Team Canada during the final at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kamloops, B.C. on Sunday, February 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. – Jennifer Jones defeated Kaitlyn Lawes 7-4 on Sunday to win the HearingLife Tour Challenge for her 10th career Grand Slam of Curling title.
Jones, from Springwater, Ont., ran Lawes out of rocks in the eighth end for the victory. It was the first Slam title for Jones third Karlee Burgess, second Emily Zacharias and lead Lauren Lenentine.
“To have it happen so early (in the season) and just to be a part of their first Slam win (was special),” Jones said.
“They’re going to have a long career after I’m done and just to know that I was part of something with them is pretty special for all of us.”
Lawes, from Winnipeg, opened with a single but Jones responded with three points in the second end and stole a point in the third.
Lawes made a draw for a deuce in the fourth end to make it a one-point game but she nosed a hit-and-roll attempt with her last throw in the fifth. Jones took advantage by making a runback for a pair.
The teams exchanged singles before Jones made a hit in the eighth and final end for the victory.
“At this level, it’s just one shot here or there,” Jones said. “We’re just trying to make as many shots as we can.”
Lawes was a longtime vice for Jones before moving to the skip position with a new team for this quadrennial. Jones and Lawes won Olympic gold together at the 2014 Sochi Games.
Jones beat Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni in the quarterfinal and Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg in the semifinal at the Gale Centre. Jones said she’s proud of her teammates’ determination against tough opponents.
“It’s amazing to me how they play their best games in the biggest games,” she said. “It’s a special quality to have.”
South Korea’s EunJung Kim beat Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont 7-4 in the Tier 2 women’s final.
The men’s final between Italy’s Joel Retornaz and Brendan Bottcher of Spruce Grove, Alta., was scheduled for later Sunday at the Gale Centre.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2023.
