CANADIAN DUO GOES TWO FOR TWO IN UNIVERSITY GAMES MIXED DOUBLES
In the history of the World University Games, Canada has never lost a game in the mixed doubles event.
Granted, this is the first time that mixed doubles has been contested at the multi-sport event, but through Day One, Canada remains perfect.
Jessica Zheng and Victor Pietrangelo (both from Niagara Falls, Ont.) started the seven-game round robin in Torino, Italy with two wins on Saturday. In the afternoon, they bested Norway by a score of 9-4, then followed it up with a last-rock win over the United States, finishing 7-6 on the evening draw.
“We’re feeling great,” said Zheng after their second game. “Each game allows us to learn more and experience the atmosphere.”
Both games required a strong finish from the Canadians, the second requiring a takeout to score two on the last shot to seal the win over the Americans.
“We had a good first half, but the second half of that game was a bit scary,” said Zheng, referring to three consecutive scores by the U.S. in the fifth, sixth, and seventh ends. “We just kept our heads up and were able to set up a shot for two and the win in the eighth. It gave me a lot of confidence.”
On Sunday, the Canadians will take on Switzerland and Great Britain. The Brits and the team from Germany also began the competition with two wins.
“It’s an awesome experience,” said Zheng, a computer science student at the University of Waterloo. “Our schedule is pretty packed, so we haven’t seen other events yet, but we’ve been meeting a lot of new teams and learning lots.”
The trip to Italy was not without incident. A missed connecting flight led to an unexpected day of touring Munich, and a missing broom bag. The equipment eventually arrived and the pair, along with coach Helen Radford, reached Italy with plenty of time to spare.
The mixed doubles event will wrap up on Tuesday, January 14, after which the four-player men’s and women’s events will get underway.
Canada is represented by the University of Regina Cougars, skipped by Josh Bryden, and the University of Alberta Pandas, skipped by Serena Gray-Withers.
Playoff games will be streamed on FISU.tv. For results and schedules, visit: https://wugtorino2025.microplustimingservices.com/#/general-reports
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