Team Kim drop close-fought game to China

Kim Kyeong-ae curls the stone during a women's round robin game against China at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing on Sunday. [AFP/YONHAP]

Korea's Team Kim lost a close-fought game to China in the women's curling round robin tournament on Sunday, forcing the game into extra ends before finally conceding 6-5.

Team Kim took an early lead in the first ending at the National Aquatics Centre in Beijing, taking two points despite China starting the game with the hammer. China quickly bounced back after the early steal, picking up a single point in the second and third end to tie the score at 2-2.

Over the next few ends, Korea repeatedly pulled ahead only for China to catch up. That ended in the eighth inning when two points gave China a 5-4 lead. Korea forced a scoreless ninth end to ensure they had the hammer in the tenth, but were only to get a single point to tie the score at 5-5.

The tie forced an extra end, with China at a huge advantage with the last stone. That last stone proved crucial, with China knocking Korea out of the house and taking a 6-5 lead to end the game.

Korea now have two wins and two losses in the early stage of the round robin tournament, having lost their opening match to Canada on Thursday and defeated Great Britain on Friday and ROC on Saturday. That puts Korea in sixth place in the round robin standing, but with fewer games played than most other teams.

In the women's curling tournament, each team plays a total of nine games in the round robin tournament, with the top four teams advancing to the semifinals. Games are played daily, although the draw may leave some teams with multiple games on one day and none on another.

Korea will make up that game deficit with two games scheduled on Monday. Team Kim will first take on the United States, who sit just above Korea in the table, at 10:05 a.m. They will then return to the ice at 9:05 p.m. to take on PyeongChang rivals Japan, who currently sit in second place.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]