The opening day of women’s curling at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics brought both momentum and a learning moment for Team USA, which defeated South Korea 8–4 in its opener before falling to Sweden 9–4 in the afternoon session to finish Day 1 with a 1–1 record.
Strong Start: USA 8, South Korea 4
Skip Tabitha Peterson led the Americans to a confident opening victory, highlighted by disciplined defensive play and five stolen points. After South Korea, skipped by Gim Eun-Ji, grabbed an early edge, the U.S. responded with two points in the fourth end to tie the game.
Both teams blanked the fifth end, heading into the halfway break tied 2–2. From there, the Americans seized control. A steal of one in the sixth gave the U.S. its first lead after Peterson’s final stone removed South Korea’s only scoring rock.
The momentum continued in the seventh end when South Korea’s final shot came up short, leaving two American stones in the four-foot circle for a steal of two and a 5–2 advantage.
South Korea briefly rallied with two points in the eighth, but the U.S. added one in the ninth to maintain a cushion entering the final end. In the 10th, South Korea had a chance to score two and tie, but the final takeout attempt slid completely through the house, resulting in a steal of two for the Americans and an 8–4 win.
Team USA shot 82% collectively and dominated the takeout game, finishing with a 49–39 edge. The victory marked Olympic debuts to remember for Cory Thiesse and Taylor Anderson-Heide, both earning their first Olympic win.
Sweden Responds in Game 2: Sweden 9, USA 4
The afternoon matchup proved far more difficult for the Americans against Sweden, skipped by Anna Hasselborg.
In a tightly contested game early, Sweden executed a key runback in the fourth end to score two and take a 3–2 lead into the break. Sweden then added a steal in the fifth when Peterson’s hammer attempt removed a Swedish stone but rolled out, leaving the U.S. without a counter.
Trailing 4–2 in the seventh, the Americans responded with a clutch draw for two from Peterson to tie the game with three ends remaining. Sweden regained the lead in the eighth and forced the U.S. into a difficult situation late.
A near-miss double takeout in the ninth allowed Sweden to steal one for a 6–4 advantage entering the final end. Needing a triple takeout to stay alive, the U.S. misfired on its last shot, and Sweden capitalized with a steal of three to seal the 9–4 victory.
After splitting their first two games of Olympic competition, Team USA sits at 1–1 and will try to move back above .500 when they face Canada on Friday morning.
For the Americans, the opening day showed both their defensive strength — particularly in the win over South Korea — and the thin margin for error against elite curling nations like Sweden.
