Jennifer Jones defeated Andrea Kelly 9-5 in first-round play Wednesday at the PointsBet Invitational. The six-time Canadian women's curling champion iced the victory with three points in the ninth end.
Jones has a new-look squad this season. Karlee Burgess played third in the opening game with Mackenzie Zacharias at second and Lauren Lenentine at lead.
The loss eliminated Kelly from the single-knockout competition, a new addition to the Season of Champions calendar. In other Draw 1 games, top-seeded Kerri Einarson dumped Tracey Larocque 12-3, Kelsey Rocque topped Christina Black 8-6 and Selena Sturmay upset Chelsea Carey 10-6.
The opening draw in the 16-team men's bracket was scheduled for Wednesday night at Willie O'Ree Place in Fredericton. Play continues through Sunday.