VERNON – German curling legend Andrea Schoepp wonders if this is too little, too late.

Germany has won three consecutive games, the latest a cautious 5-3 victory over Italy, to climb to 4-3 at the 2008 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.

"But we lost three games in a row, too!" Schoepp pointed out.

Schoepp, the former world champion (1988) who has won demonstration Olympic gold (1992) plus six Le Gruyère European Championships, doubts that her late heroics will result in post round-robin play.

"For the playoffs, I think it will be tough," said Schoepp. "The Olympic points are important now.

"We should not have lost to Switzerland (on Sunday)," Schoepp added. "I made the wrong decision on my last shot, totally the wrong decision.

"It happens, but not too much."

Two other Tuesday night matches featured wild swings on the scoreboard. Canada found themselves down 6-1 to the United States and in further trouble in the fifth end, when skip Jennifer Jones made two stunning draws to snatch a three-ender. Canada grabbed another three two ends later, stole the eighth and then drew for two on last stone for a remarkable 10-9 victory.

Canada sits at 6-1, behind first-place China (7-0) while the U.S., skipped by Debbie McCormick, dropped to 4-3. 

Meanwhile, Denmark erased deficits of 4-1 and 6-4 to eventually take three in the final end for a 9-7 win over Switzerland. Denmark's Angelina Jensen, the 2007 World silver medallist, is at 5-2 along with Switzerland's Mirjam Ott.

In the other game, Japan's Moe Meguro made it a two-win day by beating the Czech Republic 5-4. Meguro, now at 4-3, made a stellar draw against four Czech counters for the key extra-end win.

Japan faces Canada on Wednesday morning, while Denmark meets Germany, Switzerland battles Italy and the United States meets the Czech Republic.

Seven broadcast partners are delivering live and tape-delayed action to world curling fans. Eurosport, NHK (Japan), TSN and CBC (Canada), WCSN and NBCOlympics.com (United States) and CurlTV are all onsite in Vernon, with live results also available via curling.ca and results.worldcurling.org

CCA photos by Michael Burns 

VERNON – Sweden's Stina Viktorsson had another up-and-down day at the 2008 Ford World Women's Curling Championship, losing emphatically to Germany before edging Italy 8-7.

Viktorsson's foursome, who shocked three-time world and Olympic champion Anette Norberg three times in the Swedish finals, are at 3-4. Five teams are ahead of them in the win column and there is little room for error the rest of the way.

"It's getting better," said Viktorsson, who has a strong World Junior pedigree but is herself a rookie in world women's play.

"it's hard because we usually don't play on this ice, but it's more than that. I can't blame the ice." 

Sweden enoys back-to-back byes before hitting the ice Wednesday afternoon against the Czech Republic.

"We're going to have a massage tonight," said Viktorsson.

Elsewhere, China continued it's rampage through the field with a 10-1 thrashing of the United States. Debbie McCormick had two-thirds of her 2003 world championship team on the ice but crashed early to Bingyu Wang's foursome from the northern city of Harbin.

"We feel like we got beat more by the ice than by China," said McCormick. "It just didn't happen. I've curled enough to know we can bounce back." 

In other games, Denmark beat Scotland 7-6 and Japan outscored Russia 10-5.

China leads the pack at 7-0, with Canada and Switzerland both at 5-1. Denmark and the United States are at 4-2.

In Tuesday night action, Canada battles the United States, Denmark takes on Switzerland, Italy meets Germany and the Czech Republic challenges Japan.

Seven broadcast partners are delivering live and tape-delayed action to world curling fans. Eurosport, NHK (Japan), TSN and CBC (Canada), WCSN and NBCOlympics.com (United States) and CurlTV are all onsite in Vernon, with live results also available via curling.ca and results.worldcurling.org

CCA photos by Michael Burns 

VERNON – China upset Canada 9-7 to become the only undefeated team on day four of the 2008 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.

China's Bingyu Wang leaped out to a 3-0 lead after two ends over Canada's Jennifer Jones, and held a 4-1 lead into the fifth, when Canada scored a three.

Tha Canadians then stole one and swapped dueces with China, finally forcing the Chinese to a single in the ninth.

The see-saw battle came to a head in the 10th end. Canada held China to a single in the ninth, and after Wang made a double-takeout on her last stone of the 10th, Jones faced a draw to four-foot rings facing two, but her stone slipped too far, giving China a steal of two and a 9-7 victory. 

"I thought we controlled the back half of the game," said Jones.

"We probably should have won it. I just missed my last shot." 

"Canada is the best," said Chinese team official Li Dongyan. "We are just a young team, looking to get stronger."

Many would argue the Chinese are already here. The match thrilled the crowd at the Vernon Multiplex, with both sides bobbing and weaving in search of an advantage. Wang also defeated Canada's Kelly Scott in the round-robin at the 2006 Ford Worlds. 

China owns first place at 6-0 with Canada and Switzerland at 5-1. The Swiss defeated Scotland 8-4 in Tuesday morning action, while Germany took out Sweden 8-3 and Russia pasted the Czech Republic 11-4.

The United States is at 4-1, while Denmark and Germany now have three wins.

Traditional powerhouse Scotland is in a downward spiral. After winning her opening match over Russia, Gail Munro's surprise representatives have lost five straight matches. 

Seven broadcast partners are delivering live and tape-delayed action to world curling fans. Eurosport, NHK (Japan), TSN and CBC (Canada), WCSN and NBCOlympics.com (United States) and CurlTV are all onsite in Vernon, with live results also available via curling.ca and results.worldcurling.org

CCA photos by Michael Burns 

VERNON – Canada is headed for a first-place showdown with China on Tuesday morning at the 2008 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.

Canada's Jennifer Jones won a 9-6 game over a determined Russia, skipped by Liudmila Privivkova, to advance to 5-0. China did likewise with a 7-4 win over the Czech Republic, which moved second Jana Simmerova into fourth rock position for the second game in a row.

Canada broke open a tight 5-5 scoreline with a three-count in the eighth end. China held a 4-3 lead over the Czechs after six ends and then scored two and stole one to confirm the win.   

The Canadians battle Bingyu Wang and her team from Harbin, in northern China, in round nine action on Tuesday.

At the 2005 Worlds in Scotland, Wang and Jones both made their international curling debuts. Canada thrashed the Chinese in the round-robin 11-1, and went on to finish fourth with an 8-4 won/loss record. China finished a respectable 4-7 and just three years later, are looking like a medal threat.

"We've seen them around a lot but we've never played them since Paisley," said Jones.

"They've always been technically sound, and they made a lot of open shots back then. Now they've obviously improved their finesse and strategy, so it should be a good game."

Wang pointed to teamwork and some good fortune for their stellar start to the Worlds in Vernon. 

"We're really surprised," said Wang. "Because we have the 12 best teams in the world here, and we are 5-0." 

In other games, Switzerland's two-time Olympic silver medallist Mirjam Ott outscored Sweden's Stina Viktorsson 7-6 and Scotland's Gail Munro fell 6-4 to Germany's Andrea Schoepp.

The Swiss are at 4-1 along with the United States.

Seven broadcast partners are delivering live and tape-delayed action to world curling fans. Eurosport, NHK (Japan), TSN and CBC (Canada), WCSN and NBCOlympics.com (United States) and CurlTV are all onsite in Vernon, with live results also available via curling.ca and results.worldcurling.org

CCA photos courtesy Michael Burns 

VERNON – Canada upended a stubborn Italian team 9-6 to keep pace with China and United States is quietly rolling at the 2008 Ford World Women's Curling Championship.

Winnipeg's Jennifer Jones overcame deficits of 4-2 and 6-5 to defeat Italy's Diana Gaspari 9-6.

"They're a great team and (Gaspari) makes a lot of shots," said Jones.

"We tried to make it a little complicated for them, but we missed a few shots."

The Canadians weren't sharp but the Italians missed several chances to apply even more pressure to the hosts.

In other matches, the United States built a 4-1 lead after five ends and eventually passed Germany 6-3; Denmark shocked the Czech Republic by taking three in the 10th end for a 7-6 win; and Switzerland's Mirjam Ott made a masterful draw under pressure from Japan to steal a point and preserve a 9-6 victory.

"That's four in a row now," said bouyant U.S. skip Debbie McCormick. "We're piling up the W's."

The Americans lost their first match to Denmark but now sit at 4-1, one game behind unbeaten China and Canada. 

In Monday night's draw 8 action, Canada meets Russia, Germany battles Scotland, Switzerland meets Sweden and China takes on the Czech Republic.

No less than seven broadcast partners are delivering live and tape-delayed action to world curling fans. Eurosport, NHK (Japan), TSN and CBC (Canada), WCSN and NBCOlympics.com (United States) and CurlTV are all onsite in Vernon, with live results also available via curling.ca and results.worldcurling.org