Japan defeated Germany 7-4 to pick up its third win on the third day of the Men's World Curling Championships but lost 8-5 to Sweden on Monday.
In the 12-team round-robin competition, world No. 9 Japan, with three wins against two losses, sits in a four-way tie for fourth place with China, Italy and Norway. Canada remains on top of the standings unbeaten in five games, followed by Switzerland and Sweden at 4-1.
SC Karuizawa, looking to win Japan a berth in the men's Olympic tournament for the first time since the 1998 Nagano Winter Games, scored three points in the ninth end to break a 4-4 tie with 12th-ranked Germany.