MEDICINE HAT, Alta. — Miku Nihira and her Japanese team made it through a marathon Saturday at the P&H Masters to advance to their first final in the Grand Slam of Curling presented by Molson Canadian.
Nihira edged Canada's Team Taylor Reese-Hansen 8-5 in the morning tiebreaker to qualify for the eighth and final playoff spot, upset top-seeded Team Eun-ji Gim of South Korea 7-5 in the quarterfinals and defeated Canada's Team Selena Sturmay 6-4 in the semifinals.
The Sapporo-based squad, which went 2-2 through the four-day preliminary round, will take on Sweden's Team Isabella Wranå in Sunday's final (4 p.m. EST / 3 p.m. ABT on Sportsnet, Sportsnet+, ESPN+, and DAZN).
Wranå reached the final after defeating Switzerland's Team Xenia Schwaller 7-4 in the quarterfinals and Japan's Team Ikue Kitazawa 7-6 in the semifinals.
Although Wranå also finished the prelim stage at 2-2, one of her losses came in a shootout with the hammer, earning a total of seven points and avoiding the tiebreaker jam at six.
It'll be the third Grand Slam final for Wranå, who captured the Players' Championship in 2023 and finished runner-up at the event the following season.
"It feels amazing," said Wranå, who won an Olympic gold medal in mixed doubles and a bronze at the women's worlds last season. "It's been over two years since we played in a Grand Slam final, so we're just very happy to be back and have a chance to take the title."
Who needs rest? Wranå arrived at the P&H Masters straight from Ostrava, Czechia, where her team captured gold in the European Curling Championships last Sunday.
The Sundbyberg squad will aim to maintain that momentum as they take on the surging Team Nihira.
"They have played absolutely fantastic this playoffs, so I think we're going to have to play our absolute best to have a chance to win tomorrow," Wranå said. "We need to try to go out, have fun and just do our thing."
