Womens Curling: Tabitha Peterson’s extra-end hammer sends U.S. to Olympic semifinals

Team USA reached the Olympic semifinals in womens curling when Tabitha Peterson delivered a clutch hammer shot in an extra end to beat Switzerland 7-6 and secure a playoff spot.

Womens Curling: Peterson seals extra-end win

The match finished 7-6 after Peterson needed an expertly placed stone with the hammer in the extra end. The U. S. had given up three points in the 10th end to let Switzerland tie the score 6-6, and Peterson missed on some early stones in the extra end before landing the decisive shot that nearly required a measurement to confirm the winner.

Game flow — key ends and shots

Team USA opened the game with the hammer and kept things quiet until the second end, when Peterson used the hammer to place a stone almost directly on the button for a 1-0 lead. Switzerland tied the game in the third end after failing to convert a chance for two. Peterson again hit the button in the fourth end to move the U. S. ahead 2-1.

The fifth end swung in the Americans' favor when a defensive setup produced a steal, pushing Team USA to a 3-1 edge. Switzerland limited the U. S. to one in the sixth, making it 3-2, but Peterson used the hammer in the seventh to score two and build a 5-2 lead. Switzerland took one in the eighth (5-3), Team USA scored one in the ninth to go up 6-3, and Switzerland's Alina Paetz executed a three-point 10th end to tie the match 6-6 and force the extra end.

Semifinals next for Team USA

With the walk-off extra-end win, Team USA guaranteed itself a spot in the semifinals, the objective the team faced entering Thursday: win, and you're in. The victory delivered the U. S. into the playoff bracket and ends this match with a 7-6 final score after 11 ends of play.

Team USA will advance to the Olympic semifinals; the semifinal match is the team's next confirmed milestone.