Canada beats China 10-6 in men's curling semis

China's Liu Rui（C）delivers the rock while Zang Jialiang（L）and Ba Dexin （R）prepare to sweep the ice during the men's curling semifinal game against Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Feb 19, 2014.[Photo/icpress.cn]

SOCHI- The Chinese men's curling team lost to Canada 10-6 in the semifinal at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games Wednesday.

China, who finished third in the round-robin with seven wins and two losses, failed to control the game when facing the two-time Olympic champion, while the latter showed its strength with some perfect takeouts.

The two tied 4-4 after six ends, but in the seventh, China made mistakes and Canada seized the chance as skip Brad Jacobs made a double takeout to set up three points. Though China won two points back in the eighth, it couldn't stop the rival when Canada scored three again in the ninth.

"We had chances in the first few ends where we had those guys banging brooms and we forced them to one. In the second end, if we could have converted a two there, that could have been a little bit of a different game. Sometimes you have to seize that opportunity when you get it and we just didn't. At that point their momentum went up and ours went the opposite," said China's Canadian coach Marcel Rocque.

"I know they're disappointed, as any athlete would be. There was a dream and the chance to fulfill that dream was just within brooms' reach," he added.

It was the first time China reached the last four in men's curling at the Olympics. China will play Sweden in the bronze medal play-off on Friday.

In the women's semis played earlier Wednesday, Sweden beat Switzerland 7-5 and will take on Canada in the final on Thursday, who edged Britain 6-4.

Men's curling makes into historic semis	China claims two victories at curling in Sochi