China handed narrow 7-6 loss by Japan in World Curling Championship

China suffered a close 7-6 loss to Asian rivals Japan in their 10th round robin contest at the World Men's Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada.

The showdown began with the two teams exchanging points, and the score was tied at 1-1 after the first three ends.

Japan had the hammer in the fourth end, and Chinese skip Xu Xiaoming's first stone failed to execute a proper takeout, landing further from the center than Japan's yellow. That allowed the Japanese rink to score two points and grab the lead.

China had the hammer in the fifth end, and Xu opted for a blank instead of settling for one point, in order to keep the last stone in the sixth end. But another missed shot allowed Japan to steal a point and that increased their lead.

In the seventh end, China focused on simplifying the situation, and after an official measurement, they scored two points with their last stone to close the gap.

The Japanese side continued to perform well in the eighth end, and their skip delivered a lovely draw to add two more points, extending the lead to 6-3.

But the Chinese rink pressed forward again in the ninth end, and with strategic positioning, they put Japan in a difficult spot, before picking up three points to level the score.

China continued to push in the tenth end, but Japan's final stone found its mark and earned one point to seal the 7-6 victory. China slipped to fifth place with 6 wins and 4 losses with two round robin contests left.