The U.S. mixed doubles curling team of Corey Tiese and Corey Dropkin has yet to advance from the round-robin stage to the medal round. But they took another step forward after beating Estonia’s Marie Kaldevi and Harry Leal 5-3.
The United States has not yet officially entered medal contention for this World Cup, but is expected to tie with Italy in the semifinals with a 5-2 record. Thiers and Dropkin still have to face Sweden (5-3) on Sunday, but a loss would result in a tie with Switzerland (4-3).
A win would break that tie. The U.S. also faces Italy on Monday, another chance to advance if needed.
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Great Britain is the first team to enter medal contention with a record of 7-1 so far.
Thiers and Dropkin entered Saturday’s tournament with a 4-0 record, losing to Great Britain and South Korea. That leaves them needing a win on Sunday to advance.
However, the United States fell behind early after losing 0-1 in the first period. In the second game, they tied the score 1-0. But it started a back-and-forth affair, with Estonia leading 3-2 going into the sixth.
The sixth game was a crucial one for Team USA. Thies had a chance to score three points, but her stone struck a defender and stopped short of the goal. This meant the U.S. team ended up with just one point, tying the score at 3-3.
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But Thiers and Dropkin won the next two sets to cap off the final climax. In the seventh game, when the U.S. won, Caldevi tried to knock a rock away, but the ball missed the goal. In the eighth set, Team USA placed a pawn above the button. Caldevi tried again to knock the rock away, but her throw didn’t push it far enough.
With two games remaining, Team USA is once again in good position to advance with a 5-2 record. Tiers and Dropkin need to beat either Sweden (currently fourth) later on Sunday or Italy (second) on Monday to move on.