At the Japan Mixed Doubles World Curling Championships, they defeated world No. 6 ranked Norway 2-10 in the sixth round of the qualifying round, extending their winning streak to their sixth consecutive victory.
At the Mixed Doubles Curling World Championship in South Korea, 20 teams are divided into two groups for a round-robin qualifying league, with the top three teams from each group advancing to the semifinals and playoffs.
World No. 2 Japan Chiaki Matsumura and Yasuma Tanida defeated Austria 3-13 in their fifth match on 25th to extend their winning streak to the fifth match of the season, followed by Norway, who have also won all their matches so far.
Japan took a one-goal lead, but Norway scored four goals in the second end to allow a comeback, but they scored three goals in the third end to quickly equalize.
They scored three runs in the fourth end and won again, but after giving up two runs in the fifth end, they scored one goal in the sixth end to tie the game.
After limiting Norway to one point in the seventh end, they scored three runs in the eighth and final round to win the showdown 5-9 and extend their winning streak to six.
The Japan who are the top team in the group will need to win their match against Turkey on 2th to advance through the qualifying round.
What is the Matsumura-Tanida pair?
Chiaki Matsumura and Yasuma Tanida formed a pair in 2019.
Matsumura is a 30-year-old from Karuizawa Town, Nagano Prefecture.
At Chubu Electric Power, where he belongs, he is a player with good overall strength, having experienced all positions from lead to second, third, and skip.
Tanida is a 28-year-old from Nayoro City, Hokkaido.
In the four-a-side competition, he was a member of Consadole Sapporo until last year and mainly played second, and has a strong sweeping ability that makes use of his physical strength.
The pair competed in their first Japan Championship in 4 and suddenly won the championship, earning them a ticket to that year's World Championships, but the tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus.
In 2, he represented Japan team at the final world qualifier for the Beijing Olympics, but was eliminated in the qualifying round, making it the first Japan team to qualify for the Olympics in this event.
They also participated in the World Championships last year, but finished fifth with a 2020-2021 record and were eliminated in the qualifying round.
The two are currently focused on mixed doubles, and are expected to surpass their record fifth place in the Japan tournament.