REGINA — The playoff matchups are set at the Tour Challenge.
Scotland's Eve Muirhead edged Julie Tippin of Woodstock, Ont., 5-4 on Friday in a tiebreaker to grab the last spot in the quarter-finals at the first Grand Slam event of the season.
Muirhead will face Switzerland's Alina Paetz, who finished first atop the round-robin standings alongside Edmonton's Val Sweeting with a 4-0 record. Sweeting, the defending champion, plays Winnipeg's Michelle Englot (2-2).
Sweeting's rink has put together 10 wins in a row at the tournament dating back to last season's Tour Challenge run. In last year's edition, Sweeting dropped her first draw before winning six straight to earn the title.
The other two quarter-final matchups will see Winnipeg's Jennifer Jones (3-1) versus Jacqueline Harrison (2-2) of Mississauga, Ont., and Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni (3-1) against Sweden's Anna Hasselborg (3-1).
Six-time Grand Slam winner and women's world champion Rachel Homan of Ottawa failed to make it through the preliminary round (1-3).
Defending men's champion Niklas Edin (2-2) of Sweden qualified for the playoff round and will play Toronto's John Epping.
The other men's quarters will have Brad Gushue of St. John's, N.L., against Saskatoon's Steve Laycock (2-2), Brad Jacobs (3-1) of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., taking on American John Shuster (3-1) and Norway's Steffen Walstad versus Winnipeg's Pat Simmons (3-1).
Epping, Gushue and Walstad all went 4-0 in round-robin play.
The quarters and semifinals go Saturday and the championship draw is scheduled for Sunday.
The Canadian Press