Team USA rallied from an early deficit and delivered a clutch finish Sunday, edging China 6–5 in women’s curling round-robin play at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
After trailing 4–1 at the halfway break, the Americans steadily chipped away behind skip Tara Peterson, whose composure in the closing ends proved decisive. Peterson, who had been shooting just 69 percent on draw shots entering the 10th end, delivered when it mattered most.
In the sixth end, China’s final stone came up short of the house, allowing Peterson to capitalize. She tapped China’s back yellow stone out to score two points and cut the deficit to one. The momentum continued in the eighth end, when Peterson dropped a precise draw onto the button for a single point.
The Americans completed their comeback in the ninth. Peterson placed a guard with her final rock, and China skip Wang Rui caught that guard on her last attempt, leaving the United States sitting one on the button to tie the match 5–5 entering the final end.
The dramatic finish came in the 10th. Peterson guided a delicate draw down the right side of the house, threading it behind five stones before settling alone at the back of the four-foot. With the hammer, China attempted a runback from the opposite side, hoping to push the cluster of stones into scoring position. The shot came up light after contacting an American guard, allowing the United States to steal the game-winning point.
China narrowly outshot the Americans overall, 84 percent to 83 percent, and dominated takeouts with a 42–16 advantage. But Team USA’s precision in key moments made the difference.
The victory marked the Americans’ third consecutive win, improving their record to 4–1 in the Milan Cortina Games. Team USA returns to the ice Monday at 1:05 p.m. ET to face winless Italy in the next round-robin matchup.
