Yannick Schwaller and his Swiss squad continued their solid start to the season at the Trentino World Cup.
Team Schwaller captured the inaugural title with a 7-6 victory over Team Casper during Sunday’s final in Trentino, Italy.
Schwaller, who skips and throws third stones, posted an unblemished 6-0 record through the tournament and followed up a runner-up result two weekends ago at the Baden Masters.
The world No. 2 team — Schwaller, fourth Benoît Schwarz-van Berkel, second Sven Michel and lead Pablo Lachat-Couchepin — holds a 12-1 record on the season.
Schwaller will look to return to the winner’s circle in Italy later this season. His team has already been selected to represent Switzerland at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina. He will also compete in the mixed doubles competition with his wife, Briar Schwaller-Hürlimann.
It was a high-scoring final to start with the teams trading three-enders in the second and third ends.
Schwaller had to settle for a single in the fourth as Schwarz-van Berkel’s last rock rolled deep, but managed to steal two points in the fifth and build a 6-3 lead as Casper’s rock didn’t curl enough to chip and roll into the cluster. Another steal in the sixth gave Schwaller a four-point advantage.
Casper, from Chaska, Minn., came back with a draw for three points in the seventh, but that gave Schwaller the hammer coming home with a one-point lead. Schwarz-van Berkel didn’t need to throw his last with Team Schwaller already lying shot rock and Casper coming up short on his final shot.
Two Canadian clubs competed in the event, and both made the final four. Toronto's Team Epping lost 8-4 to Schwaller, and Saskatoon's Team Kleiter fell 7-4 to Casper in the semifinals.
X. SCHWALLER, SHUSTER SECURE OSLO CUP TITLES
It was a double Schwaller win this weekend as Xenia Schwaller’s team earned the Oslo Cup women’s title in Oslo, Norway.
Xenia Schwaller, who is Yannick’s cousin, skipped her Swiss squad to a 6-0 record through the tournament, capped with a 7-2 victory over Norway’s Team Bjoernstad in Sunday’s final.
Already up 4-2, Schwaller added a count of three in the seventh.
Meanwhile, Team Shuster captured the men’s title with a 7-2 victory over Team Edin.
With skip John Shuster absent, third Chris Plys, second Colin Hufman and lead Matt Hamilton took the title as a trio.
Team Shuster broke a 2-2 tie with a deuce in the fourth end, then stole a pair in the fifth and one in the sixth to ice the game.
Team Shuster (15-3) is off to an impressive start to the year. The Duluth, Minn., club defeated Team Casper and Team Dropkin in a double round-robin at the start of the month in Chaska, Minn., to earn the right to represent the U.S. at the upcoming Pan Continental Curling Championships. Shuster also reached the semifinals of the Euro Super Series event last weekend in Stirling, Scotland, losing to eventual champion Team Mouat.
SINNETT, MACMILLAN TAKE ICEBREAKER CHALLENGE
A great weekend for American teams was capped with Team Sinnett’s title victory at the Icebreaker Challenge in Morris, Man.
Sinnett, from Chaska, Minn., defeated Team Hebert, from Eau Claire, Wis., 6-3 during Sunday’s all-American final in the men’s division.
Victoria’s Team MacMillan was victorious on the women’s side, downing Team Cameron of St. Adolphe, Man., 7-3 in the final.
It was the first event for Team Cameron since four-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Briane Harris, formerly with Team Einarson, joined at third.
MAEDA WINS ARGO GRAPHICS CUP
Japan's Team Maeda bookended a busy August on tour on home ice with another title by taking the ARGO GRAPHICS Cup in Kitami.
Maeda scored two points in the eighth end to edge Japan's Team Yamaguchi 6-5 in Sunday’s final and complete an undefeated 6-0 run through the tournament.
It was the second title win this season for Maeda, who also claimed the Wakkanai Midori Challenge Cup at the start of the month.
KANG CLAIMS CURLING1SPOON ELITE 8
Team Kang was victorious on home ice at the Curling1spoon Elite 8 in Uiseong, South Korea.
Kang scored a deuce in the eighth end to clip China’s Team Wang 5-4 in Sunday’s final.
The reigning world junior champion Kang finished the week with a 5-1 record.
MOOIBROEK, GRAY-WITHERS win U-25 NEXTGEN CLASSIC
Canada’s rising stars hit the ice in Edmonton this past week for the U-25 NextGen Classic.
Team Mooibroek of Whitby, Ont., captured the men’s title for the second time, defeating defending champion Team McDonald from Winnipeg 6-4 in Thursday’s final.
Team Mooibroek, winner of the inaugural title in 2022, posted a 6-1 record in the tournament.
Edmonton’s Team Gray-Withers grabbed the women’s title for the third time in four seasons following an 11-2 victory over Team Forsythe from New Brunswick. Gray-Withers finished with a 7-0 record.
Serena Gray-Withers also teamed up with Victor Pietrangelo to take the mixed doubles title following an 8-2 win over Grace Cave and Jayden King in Sunday's final. Gray-Withers and Pietrangelo went undefeated at 8-0 as well.
UP NEXT
• Stu Sells Oakville Tankard (Sept. 5-8; Oakville, Ont.)
• Saville Shootout (Sept. 5-7; Edmonton)
