The two-time defending world champions opened the Olympics in a big way on Thursday with a six-point victory over Denmark.

With the score tied 3-3 through four ends, the Canadians broke the game open in the fifth. On Denmark's penultimate throw, a takeout attempt missed and left the Canadians sitting four inside the four-foot. Rachel Homan's next throw also drew to the inside, and Denmark had no room to draw to the button on the hammer throw. Madeleine Dupont's takeout attempt came up light, and she was only able to get one Canadian stone out, allowing Canada to steal four and take a commanding lead.

Homan's team added three in the seventh after she drew to the button on the hammer, giving her team their final three points.

Denmark conceded the final three ends.

The Canadians, world champs in 2024 and 2025, are looking to get on the Olympic podium for the first time since 2014. They take the second session of Thursday's games off after starting the Games 1-0. They'll return on Friday to take on Team USA at 8:05 a.m. ET. 

Denmark (0-1) will return later on Thursday to face Japan at 1:05 p.m. ET.

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Olympic experience showed in Switzerland's Game 1 win over Italy on Thursday.

Switzerland's Silvana Tirinzoni and Alina Patz, each playing in their third Olympics, both shot better than 90 percent on draw attempts and takeout attempts in the win.

The Swiss team finished with 42 takeouts, shooting 92 percent as a team.

Italy, with three of four players making their Olympic debuts, shot just 77 percent as a team.

Switzerland (1-0) will take the next session off and return to face China at 8:05 a.m. ET on Friday.

Italy (0-1) will look for win No. 1 later Thursday against South Korea. The match will begin at 1:05 p.m. ET.

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Three points in the fourth and a steal of one more in the fifth turned an evenly matched, low-scoring game into a big win for Sweden on Day 1 of competition.

In the fourth, Japan's final stone, a draw attempt, hit a guard high of the house. That left Anna Hasselborg a straight draw to gave Sweden a 4-1 lead.

Sayaka Yoshimura missed another draw attempt on Japan's final stone of the fifth, giving Sweden a 5-1 lead at the halfway break.

When Japan attempted a comeback with two in the sixth, the Swedes answered with two of their own in the seventh. The teams traded single-point ends in the eighth and ninth, forcing a concession from Japan.

Sweden (1-0), the defending Olympic bronze medalists, will next face Team USA later Thursday at 1:05 p.m. ET. South Korea (0-1) will face Italy at the same time. 

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South Korea held Italy off the board for the first four ends while scoring in back-to-back-to-back ends and stealing two points on the way to a big victory over the home team.

South Korea outshot Italy on takeout attempts, 92 percent to 73 percent, despite the Italians coming away with three more takeouts (25-22). 

After going into the halftime break up, 3-1, the Koreans put the game away with four points in the sixth. Italy tried to mount a comeback, but could only muster a single point in the seventh as they conceded the final three ends.

South Korea bounces back from a loss to Team USA earlier in the day and ends Day 1 of competition 1-1. They'll next take on the defending gold medalists Great Britain at 8:05 a.m. ET on Friday.

Italy opens its home Olympics 0-2. They'll take Friday off and will look for win No. 1 on Saturday with a 3:05 a.m. ET game against China.

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China opened their Milan Cortina Olympics with a win over the defending gold medalists on Thursday.

After both teams blanked the first and second ends, Great Britain got out front with two in the third. The lead was short lived as China responded with a pair of their own in the fourth. 

Wang Rui followed with a triple-takeout in the fifth that led to another blank that helped China go into the break tied 2-2.

The Chinese team added two more in the seventh thanks to a draw to the button on the hammer by Wang. In the eighth, Rebecca Morrison needed a runback double in the hammer to put points in the board for Great Britain, but she was unable to come away with it, instead allowing China to steal two more and go up 6-3 with two ends remaining.

The two teams traded single points in the ninth and tenth to allow China to hold on for the win.

China (1-0) will next play Switzerland on Friday at 8:05 a.m.

Great Britain (0-1) will play South Korea at the same time.

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After Japan scored one in the 10th to force an extra end, Denmark came away with their highest score of the night in the 11th for the victory.

On their penultimate throw of the 11th, Madeleine Dupont came up with a double-takeout, leaving Denmark sitting two and Japan few options for a steal. 

Skip Sayaka Yoshimura came away with a takeout, but Dupont's runback erased the Japanese stone while leaving her team three in the house for a three-point victory.

Denmark stole single points in each of the third and fourth ends early in the game.

Dupont's team improves to 1-1, and will get Friday off. They'll return on Saturday to take on South Korea at 1:05 p.m. ET.

Japan (0-2) will also take Friday off, and will return on Saturday to take on Switzerland at 3:05 a.m. ET.

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