Rachel Homan opened the Grand Slam season on Tuesday with a 4-3 victory over fellow Canadian Clancy Grandy at the HearingLife Tour Challenge in Niagara Falls, Ont.
Homan, the defending champion from Ottawa, scored a single point in the eighth end for the win. Clancy, from Coquitlam, B.C., picked up back-to-back steals to tie the game but Homan, who now lives in Beaumont, Alta., used the hammer to her advantage in the final end.
In other early women's games, Kerri Einarson of Camp Morton, Man., posted a 5-3 win over Kate Cameron of New Bothwell, Man. Jennifer Jones of Springwater, Ont., edged South Korea's Seungyoun Ha 6-5 and Sweden's Anna Hasselborg beat Italy's Stefania Constantini 8-4.
In the opening men's draw, Calgary's Kevin Koe topped Winnipeg's Reid Carruthers 5-4 and Scotland's Ross Whyte defeated Sweden's Niklas Edin 8-5.