Japan took a big step toward the Beijing Winter Olympic women's curling semifinals on Wednesday, blowing a four-point lead before holding on to beat the United States 10-7 in its penultimate round-robin game.
The victory at Beijing's National Aquatics Centre left skip Satsuki Fujisawa and team Loco Solare third in the 10-team round robin at 5-3, with the top four advancing to the semifinals.
"This was a big win for us," Fujisawa said. "As you get toward the end of the round robin, mental strength becomes more critical. Tonight we made the little shots we needed."