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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