Italy earned the final word in round-robin play — and set up an immediate rematch — by edging the United States 7–6 on Day 6 of mixed doubles curling competition at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics on Monday.
The game turned dramatically in the fifth end, where a single sequence reshaped the outcome. The United States appeared poised to steal points, sitting two stones in front of three Italian rocks with two throws remaining for each side. Korey Dropkin delivered a guard on the Americans’ penultimate shot, and Italy’s Amos Mosaner seemed to misfire when his attempt clipped that guard and slid through the house.
Instead of drawing into the house with their final stone, the Americans chose another guard. That decision opened the door for Stefania Constantini, who produced the shot of the match — a precise double takeout on Italy’s hammer that removed both U.S. counters. The stunning sequence flipped a potential American scoring end into a four-point swing and a 6–2 Italian lead.
Team USA refused to fold. Cory Thiesse and Dropkin answered with two points in the sixth end and then stole two more in the seventh after Constantini’s draw attempt slid past the button, tying the match at 6–6 heading into the final end.
In the eighth, Italy kept the house clean and forced a straightforward finish. With the hammer, Constantini delivered a final takeout to secure the single winning point and the 7–6 victory.
The teams had been evenly matched early, entering the break tied 2–2. Statistically, the Americans actually held the edge in shot-making efficiency, outshooting Italy 83% to 78%, but the Italians controlled the scoreboard with a 12–9 advantage in takeouts.
The win secured Italy — the defending Olympic gold medalists — the No. 2 seed heading into the semifinals, while the United States finished as the No. 3 seed. The result immediately sets up a semifinal rematch between the two teams later Monday.
Semifinal action begins at noon, with top-seeded Great Britain facing No. 4 Sweden in the other matchup, while the United States and Italy meet again with a spot in the gold-medal match on the line.
