CHINA defeated South Korea 8-5 for its second win in the 13th round of the World Men’s Curling Championship held in Calgary, Canada, on Tuesday.

China took a 3-0 lead after the second end. South Korea responded by scoring two points in both the third and fifth ends to level the score at 4-4. But China dominated after the break, winning 8-5.

Elsewhere, Norway held on to the top spot of the standings by crushing Japan 10-2, while the Russian Curling Federation Team edged past Olympic champion the United States in the 13th round.

On Monday, China claimed its first victory by edging Denmark 6-5 in the 10th round.

China opened the match against Denmark with a hit to score two points in the first end. But it was a tight match as the teams were tied at 5-5 after the ninth end. In the 10th end, China’s skipper Zou Qiang drew his final stone onto the button inside two Danish counters to score one point for a 6-5 win.

Against the Netherlands, China underperformed and trailed 8-1 by the fifth end break.

The Dutch squad scored two more points in the seventh end for a 10-2 lead and China conceded the match.

It was also the Netherlands’ first win at the world championship.

After the 2020 edition of the World Men’s Curling Championship was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the men are back on the ice in 2021.

The tournament began April 2 with 14 teams hitting the sheets in a bubble in Calgary. The top two teams will advance directly to the semifinals.

China has locked down a spot for the 2022 Winter Olympics as the host.

(SD-Agencies)