By Jonathan Brazeau
SASKATOON — Silvana Tirinzoni captured her sixth career Grand Slam of Curling women's title in the HearingLife Canadian Open.
Tirinzoni and her Swiss squad defeated Japan's Team Satsuki Fujisawa 7-1 during Sunday's final at Merlis Belsher Place.
The team of Tirinzoni, fourth Alina Pätz, second Carole Howald and lead Selina Witschonke collected $38,000 from the prize pool.
"Every Grand Slam you can win is just very special, and I feel very fortunate to win another one," Pätz said. "It just feels great with this team."
Tirinzoni has reached all four Grand Slam of Curling women's finals this season, finishing runner-up to Canada's Team Rachel Homan in the first three. It was also a fifth straight, stretching back to last season, as Tirinzoni topped Homan in the Players' Championship final last April.
"It's amazing," Tirinzoni said. "I've been in so many finals and losing them, so this is actually much better."
Team Tirinzoni can send a Christmas card with a "thank you" note to Fujisawa, who eliminated Homan 5-4 in the quarterfinals. That also ended Homan's record run of consecutive Grand Slam women's finals appearances at eight.
Fujisawa, third Chinami Yoshida, second Yumi Suzuki and lead Yurika Yoshida earned $30,000 for going 3-1 through the preliminary round and finishing runner-up.
Tirinzoni also went 3-1 in the early stage with just the lone loss to South Korea's Team Bo-bae Kang on Wednesday.
Securing the hammer to start proved key for Tirinzoni. After Fujisawa's double attempt jammed one on the side, Pätz drew for a deuce to convert in the opening frame.
Facing two counters, Fujisawa was forced to her one point in the second end.
Team Tirinzoni used up their blank in the third and were forced to hit for a single in the fourth and a 3-1 lead.
The game got out of hand from there, though. Fujisawa hit a guard to give up a steal in the fifth, then hit and rolled the wrong way in the sixth to surrender three points that brought out the handshakes.
Tirinzoni was anticipating a tough battle, and it was, despite the lopsided final score.
"The last end, we were in big trouble there, I find. Just one great rock away from a big end for Team Fujisawa," Tirinzoni said. "It was tight actually until the end."
The HearingLife Canadian Open was the ninth event and eighth final of the season for Tirinzoni. After last month's KIOTI GSOC Tahoe, the team won back-to-back titles on tour in Red Deer, Alta., and Swift Current, Sask.
"I think we all have to be proud about the first half of the season," Tirinzoni said. "It was amazing. I think we all need a little break, but still, we have a lot of energy from all those wins and great playing. I think yes, we are ready for a break, but it's not that we are that tired."
Pätz added: "Any Grand Slam you can win is huge, right? But obviously, it's very nice. It shows that we play well, it shows that we are working on the right things and that's a good thing for all the challenges coming up."
Elsewhere, Victoria's Team Taylor Reese-Hansen claimed the Tier 2 women's title in a wild all-Canadian final against Winnipeg's Team Kaitlyn Lawes.
Reese-Hansen stole three consecutive single points to edge Lawes 6-5 in an extra end.
Later Sunday, Switzerland's Team Yannick Schwaller and Scotland's Team Ross Whyte square off for the HearingLife Canadian Open men's title. Norway's Team Magnus Ramsfjell and Switzerland's Team Michael Brunner face off in the Tier 2 final.
UP NEXT
The Grand Slam of Curling returns right after the holiday break in the new year with the Crown Royal Players' Championship. The fifth and final Grand Slam event of the season, and the final tune-up before the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, runs Jan. 6-11 at the Southeast Event Centre in Steinbach, Man.
Tirinzoni is the two-time defending champ and will look to become the first to win three straight Crown Royal Players' Championship titles.
"The crowd should be amazing again," Tirinzoni said. She added with a smile, "Looking very much forward to that, not to the weather, but to the Grand Slam."
Pätz also can't wait for the Crown Royal Players' Championship.
"Every time we finish one, we're already excited for the next one," she said. "We are for sure looking forward to a couple of days of break, but after that, we are ready to go again in Steinbach."
