BEIJING -- Japan pulled off a stunning victory over Switzerland in women's curling on Friday to advance for the first time to an Olympic final, where it will get a chance to address some unfinished business beyond going for a gold medal.
The Japanese, behind a pair of super shots by ski'zp Satsuki Fujisawa, knocked off the Swiss 8-6 at the National Aquatics Centre in the semifinals of the Beijing Winter Olympics, setting up a clash for the gold with Britain on Sunday.
The victory assured Japan of a second straight medal, after taking the bronze at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Sunday's final will be a rematch of the third-place playoff from four years ago, which Japan has long regarded as a bittersweet victory.
"We've fought hard and made it to this stage," Fujisawa said. "I hope we definitely play our best."
Fujisawa led the victory over the Swiss with a pair of dazzling double takeouts, one that gave Japan four points in the fifth end and another that limited Switzerland to one point in the ninth.
Next up for Japan, which is team from Hokkaido-based national champion Loco Solare, will be the British, who won their preliminary round encounter 10-4.
Four years ago in Pyeongchang, Japan won the bronze medal with a less-than-satisfying 5-3 win.
With Japan up by a point in the 10th end and throwing first, Fujisawa's shot came up short of the target, leaving a British stone closest to the center. If the British skip scored two points with the last stone, the bronze would be theirs. But just as Japan was preparing for defeat, her shot went awry, moving a Japanese stone to the center.
"We can't say it's a medal that we won with our own ability," said Fujisawa. It's a feeling the team cannot shake.
Over the ensuing four years, Fujisawa practiced every day, throwing countless stones while imagining making a big shot at a key moment.
"Whether we win or lose, we want to play a match that we can be satisfied with," she said.
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