Winter Olympics 2022 - Team GB surge past error-prone Sweden in mixed doubles curling opener in Beijing

Great Britain beat Sweden 9-5 in their opening round robin match in the mixed doubles at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Swedish pair Almida de Val and Oskar Eriksson, World Championship bronze medallists, were nowhere near their best as they fell to defeat to Jennifer Dodds and Bruce Mouat. Ad/> It was a tense match that was ultimately decided by costly errors from De Val.

/> Beijing 2022Dodds and Mouat get GB off to winning start in curling32 MINUTES AGO /> Sweden had three stones in the house to begin with, but Britain took a 1-0 lead as they had one button which was closer and therefore the advantage. Dodds delivered the hammer but the stone curled away in the last metres. Sweden fired back though by securing two points.

Their second to last throw took out two British stones which left just one yellow in the house. Dodds was unable to get her last stone into the house before Sweden's hammer wiped out the GB stone. But a far more nervy, cagey battle unfolded afterwards and Britain took control.

A brilliant throw from Dodds saw her knock her stone into another Britain rock which stopped near the button. With five stones in play the verdict was three of the British stones were closer to the button than the Swedes and Britain took a 4-2 lead. Into the fourth end and five-time world champion Eriksson blundered with his second to last stone, sending it way long and out of play.