US vs China Curling: Team USA’s Dramatic Last-Stone Win—Score, Highlights & Olympic Implications

Team USA’s women’s curling side claimed a nail-biting 6-5 victory over China in Day 9 round-robin play at the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, stealing single points in the ninth and tenth ends to erase a late deficit and keep their medal hopes alive. The Americans, skipped by Tabitha Peterson, trailed 5-4 after eight ends but leveled the match when China’s final stone in the ninth over-curled, leaving a U.S. counter on the button for the steal. In the extra frame, Peterson’s precision draw to the four-foot forced the Chinese squad into a high-risk take-out that slid wide, handing Team USA the decisive point and sending the home-crowd section at the Palasport Olimpico into celebration. Key stats underline how slim the margins were: China actually out-curled the U.S. 84 % to 83 % in overall shot percentage and dominated take-outs 42-16, but the Americans owned the draw game when it mattered most. The result lifts the United States to 4-2 in the women’s standings, good for third place and a clear path to Thursday’s semifinal if they can topple Switzerland and Japan in their remaining round-robin matches. Why this matters for Olympic curling fans: • Momentum swing – Back-to-back steals showcase Team USA’s resilience and strategic calling under pressure, a hallmark of recent U.S. curling success. • Playoff implications – China slips to 2-4 and now faces a must-win scenario against unbeaten Canada to stay alive. • Search buzz – “USA vs China curling live stream,” “Winter Olympics 2026 curling score,” and “Team USA curling schedule” surged in real-time search as viewers scrambled to catch the dramatic finish. Looking ahead, the Americans hit the ice again on Tuesday at 09:05 local, while China meets Canada in the evening draw. With the round-robin entering its final stretch, every stone thrown in Milan-Cortina could rewrite the playoff bracket—and, as Sunday proved, no late-game lead is safe when USA and China share the sheet.