Curling-World champions Switzerland seal spot in women's semi-finals

BEIJING : Switzerland became the first team to secure a place in the women's curling semi-finals at the Beijing Olympics on Wednesday while Canada continued their playoff push with a crucial win over the United States.

World champions Switzerland saw off South Korea's 'Garlic Girls' 8-4 to seal a spot in the last four ahead of their final round-robin game against Japan. The Swiss top the standings with a record of seven wins and one defeat.

Jennifer Jones led Canada to a scrappy 7-6 victory over Tabitha Peterson and the United States for a third straight win. Canada are level with Japan with a 4-3 record behind second-placed Sweden.

Jones said she liked playing under pressure.

"If it was a guarantee then it wouldn't be as much fun," she added. "When the adrenaline is going, when the game is on the line, that's when I love it the most and it seems like everything gets more clear for me.

"For me, curling has never been about standing on top of the podium, as much as standing on top of the podium is an amazing thing.

"Obviously it means a lot to win a medal. There's no question. I'm not taking anything away from that ... For me, it's always been fun. I've never played a game where I haven't had a good time."

Britain's hopes of making the playoffs are in danger after their shock 8-4 loss to hosts China, leaving them joint fifth with the United States with one round-robin contest remaining.

Eve Muirhead's team need to win their final match against the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) and hope other results go their way.

Teams play nine matches in the preliminary round, which continues on Wednesday, with the top four reaching Friday's semi-finals.

The men's competition also continues later in the day.

(Reporting by Hritika Sharma;