LAS VEGAS – Canada’s Brad Gushu suffered his first defeat in a round-robin match at the World Men’s Curling Championship on Wednesday, losing 6-5 to Sweden’s Nicolas Edin.
Gushui’s record has dropped to 6-1 but remains ahead of the table even after the opening draw of the day. Edin improved to 6-2.
After a few days of playing with the wild linescore, the match-up between the top two teams in the world on Wednesday unfolded like another chess match.
The first pair of games did not come to the end of the seventh. A Swedish come-and-go attempt was somewhat heavy, allowing Gushu to score a deuce goal.
Edin answers to move forward with a pair of his own on the eighth end.
Gushuye got a chance for two in the ninth game, but missed his last shot, hammering Edin and scoring 5-5 to enter the final.
Edin confirmed the win with a takeout in the last shot of the game.
Canada was scheduled to play Finland in the evening draw at Orleans Arena.
Gushu won his fourth Briar title in six years at the national championships last month. He won Olympic bronze at the Beijing Games in February.
St. John’s Skip won his only world title in 2017.
Edin, the five-time world champion, defeated Gushu in the play-offs in Beijing on the way to the gold medal. Swedish skipper three-time defending world champion.