Brad Gushue returns from injury at National, picks up victory in opening draw

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. – Brad Gushue has returned to action with a victory at the National.

Gushue, who has had to watch his rink from St. John’s, N.L., play without him this year because of a hip injury, made his season debut on Tuesday and picked up a 9-4 win against Tanner Horgan to open the third Grand Slam of Curling event of the season.

The 18-year-old Horgan, from Sudbury, Ont., jumped out a 1-0 lead in the first end, but the tournament’s defending champion responded with three in the second and three in the third to blow the draw open.

Horgan was able to claw back to make it 6-4, but the Gushue team added three over the next two ends and they shook hands after seven.

Gushue’s squad includes Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker. Nichols skipped while Gushue recovered from his injury.

Also, Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., pleased the home crowd with a 7-2 victory over Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher.

Jacobs led 7-1 through five ends. Bottcher added a single in the sixth and called it before starting the seventh.

On the women’s side, Edmonton’s Val Sweeting and Russia’s Anna Sidorova opened with victories.

Sweeting needed an extra end to beat Binia Feltscher 8-6 after the Swiss skip evened the draw 6-6 with a deuce in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Sidorova toppled Scotland’s Eve Muirhead 6-5.

All teams play four round-robin games with the top eight moving on to the playoffs. The championship draws are set for Sunday.