The U.S. women's curling team mounted a dramatic comeback to defeat China 6-5 in round-robin play at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Trailing early, Team USA stole points in the final two ends to secure the victory. Skip Tabitha Peterson's precise throw proved decisive in the 10th end.
In the round-robin session of the women's curling competition at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy, the U.S. team faced an early deficit against China. After the fifth end, the score stood at 4-1 in favor of China, with the American lineup of Tabitha Peterson, Cory Thiesse, Tara Peterson, and Taylor Anderson-Heide struggling to find rhythm.
The turnaround began in the sixth end, where Team USA scored two points to narrow the gap to 4-3. China responded by extending its lead to 5-3 heading into the seventh end. However, the Americans maintained composure, tying the match at 5-5 in the ninth end after China's Rui Wang missed a shot to remove a U.S. stone from the button.
The 10th end delivered the climax. With China holding the hammer advantage, they positioned stones defensively around the button. Tabitha Peterson navigated the clutter with a skillful throw, complicating Wang's response. Wang's stone fell short, allowing Peterson to place hers closest to the center and steal the winning point.
"We just had to stick with it," Tara Peterson, the U.S. skip, said via NBC Sports. "We had a good team meeting at the fifth end break of what we needed to do to flip it around for us for the second half, and we got more energy and our draw speed got a little bit better, and we kind of kept the pressure on them to make some tough shots."
Tabitha Peterson added, via Olympics.com: "I think it says a lot about our team. We're not going to give up. Just keep the game tight, and anything can happen, even if it's a steal in the last end."
This victory improved Team USA's record to 4-1, placing them second in the standings behind undefeated Sweden (5-0) and ahead of Switzerland (3-1). The U.S. next faces Italy on Monday at 1:05 p.m. ET.
