China opens women's curling campaign with victory at Milan-Cortina Games

CORTINA D'AMPEZZO, Italy, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- China's women's curlers opened their round-robin campaign with a 7-4 victory over Britain, while Sweden collected two wins from as many matches at the Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games here on Thursday.

Skipped by Wang Rui, China delivered a composed and well-controlled performance to seal the win.

"We are quite familiar with Britain, having faced them many times before. Our strategy was to stay steady and cautious," said China's third Han Yu. "The turning point came in the eighth end when we stole two points. After that, we felt more relaxed and began to find our rhythm."

Wang emphasized that the key was to focus on their own execution and carry out the plan in each end.

"Our lead Jiang Jiayi had an excellent shooting percentage. Although we made a few minor mistakes, we responded quickly. Overall, it was a solid performance and a good start," said Wang, who is competing in her third Olympics.

Sweden defeated Japan 8-4 and upset the United States 9-4 to top the standings with two wins, followed by Canada, China and Switzerland.

Reigning world champion Canada opened with a dominant 10-4 win over Denmark, while Switzerland secured a 7-4 victory against host Italy.

In the men's competition, Britain got its second win by beating Sweden 6-3, while Canada, Italy and Switzerland are tied for second place. ■