Canada's Brad Jacobs makes a shot during an afternoon draw against China at the World Men's Curling in Victoria, B.C. Saturday, March 30, 2013. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward
March 30, 2013 - 4:42 PM
VICTORIA - Canada's Brad Jacobs opened the 2013 world men's curling championships Saturday with a 7-6 victory over Rui Liu of China.
Jacobs, 27, was successful in his first-ever game at a senior men's worlds. He is attempting to give Canada a fourth consecutive title.
The Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., native is the youngest Canadian skip to compete for a world championship since Edmonton's Kevin Martin at the age of 24 in 1991.
The game was decided after Jacobs stole one point in both the fourth and fifth ends and scored three more in the seventh to take a commanding 7-2 lead.
Liu scored two in the eighth end, and stole one more in the ninth as Jacobs missed a takeout attempt. But Jacobs effectively ran Liu out of rocks in the 10th end, while giving China a meaningless steal of one.
It was Jacobs' lone game of the day. He will take on Finland and Scotland on Sunday.
In the opening end, Jacobs hit and rolled behind cover in the 12-foot ring with his second shot, forcing Liu to draw to the button to score one.
But Jacobs showed his draw skills in the second end. With Jacobs lying two, Liu took out the Canadian skip's shot stone and rolled behind a logjam of rocks.
But another Jacobs stone remained shot rock and he deftly drew to the button to score two and take a 2-1 lead.
Liu had a chance to score one in the third end. But rather than tie the game, he chose to blank the end and retain the hammer.
However, Liu could not take advantage of last shot in the fourth end. With his final throw, Jacobs busted up a logjam of stones, leaving three Canadian shot rocks. Liu took out the one that mattered most, but the Chinese skip's shooter rolled too far away, enabling Jacobs to steal one and take a 3-1 lead.
Jacobs stole another point in the fifth end as he rested his final shot between a Chinese and Canadian guard. Liu missed a difficult in-off takeout attempt with his last shot, giving Jacobs a 4-1 lead.
Liu scored one in the sixth end to reduce his deficit to 4-2, but the China made more costly mistakes in the seventh end to erase any doubt about the outcome.
Chinese second Dexi Ba wrecked on a guard, leaving Canada with four shot rocks and China could not get enough Canadian rocks out in time. Liu failed on a come-around shot with his first attempt and watched Jacobs squeeze by a Chinese guard for a successful takeout.
Liu then failed to bury his final shot behind cover and Jacobs took it out, scoring three in the process. Jacobs actually had a chance for a five-ender, but he knocked a Canadian rock out and his shooter rolled behind the end line.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2013