Sweden’s Edin wins back-to-back Grand Slam titles with Tour Challenge victory

CRANBROOK, B.C. – Sweden’s Niklas Edinbeat Scotland’s Kyle Smith 7-3 to win the Tour Challenge on Sunday and take back-to-back Grand Slam of Curling titles on the season.

Edin earned his first career Grand Slam two weeks ago at the WFG Masters, becoming the first non-Canadian men’s rink to win on the series.

Rookie second Rasmus Wrana is now 2 for 2 after joining the Edin team this season to replace the injured Kristian Lindstroem. Edin and Wrana are joined by third Oskar Eriksson and lead Christoffer Sundgren.

Earlier, Edmonton’s Val Sweeting continued her dominant run at the Grand Slam of Curling’s Tour Challenge, downing Michelle Englot of Winnipeg 8-4 on Sunday in the women’s final.

Sweeting, who dropped her first round-robin draw before winning six straight games including Sunday’s final, broke a 2-2 tie with a single in the fourth end. She followed that with a deuce in the fifth and scored three in the seventh to seal the victory.

Sweeting’s third, Lori Olson-Johns, shot 93 per cent to lead all players through the match.

Englot opened strong with a deuce in the first end but was held off the scoreboard until the sixth, when she picked up her other two points.

Sweeting earned her spot in the women’s championship draw with a 9-2 victory over Allison Flaxey of Caldeon, Ont., in Saturday’s semifinal. Englot used an extra end to beat Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg 6-5 in her semi.