LONDON, Ont. — Canada's Team Rachel Homan sure loves playing bonus curling at the AMJ Masters.
Homan defeated Japan's Team Momoha Tabata 6-4 in an extra end Saturday afternoon to advance to the evening semifinals.
It was the third game of the Grand Slam of Curling tournament for Homan that went beyond regulation, although the two that came during the preliminary round were settled in a draw-to-the-button shootout.
This time, Homan fired a double takeout on her first skip stone to sit two that electrified the crowd. The 17-time Grand Slam women's champ didn't need to throw her last as Tabata's last rock rolled heavy to the back of the house.
Homan will take on Team Isabella Wranå in the semis. Wranå defeated defending champ Team Anna Hasselborg 8-3 in an all-Swedish showdown during the quarterfinals.
Team Eun-ji Gim and Team Silvana Tirinzoni face off in the other final four matchup.
Gim blanked Team Eun-jung Kim 7-0 in a clash of South Korean clubs, and Tirinzoni topped Team Xenia Schwaller 5-4 in an extra end in a meeting of Swiss squads.
On the men's side, Team Matt Dunstone and Team Brad Jacobs will square off in an all-Canadian semifinal matchup, while Team Mouat meets defending champion Team Whyte in a Scottish derby.
Dunstone doubled up on Norway's Team Magnus Ramsfjell 6-3, and Jacobs made a nose hit for the winning single in the eighth end to edge Italy's Team Joël Retornaz 4-3 during Saturday's quarterfinals.
Mouat drew for a deuce in eight to defeat Canada's Team John Epping, and Whyte stole a point in the final frame to escape with a 6-5 win over Switzerland's Team Yannick Schwaller.
Both semifinals are rematches of their national finals from last season. Jacobs topped Dunstone to claim the Montana's Brier, and Whyte beat Mouat at the Scottish Curling Championships.
Earlier Saturday, Jacobs eliminated Team Mike McEwen 5-2 in another matchup of Canadian clubs, and Schwaller ousted Sweden's Team Niklas Edin 7-5 in the tiebreakers to qualify for the final two playoff spots.
The semifinals begin at 7:30 p.m. ET / 4:30 p.m. PT.
Both finals are scheduled for Sunday, alongside the Tier 2 finals and GSOC Wheelchair Invitational medal games.
Tickets for the AMJ Masters are available at GSOCtickets.com with online streaming for all games at rockchannel.com and broadcast coverage in Canada on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+.
