TM Karuizawa skipped by Yusuke Morozumi started their season with a strong performance in the Hokkaido Tour opener where all games can be watched live. Morozumi, joined by Yuta Matsumura, Ryotaro Shukuya, and Masaki Iwai came together last season with Kosuke Morozumi rounding out the five-player team. Morozumi finished 55-35 on the season, pushing themselves inside the Top 20 on the World Curling Team Rankings finishing as the top-ranked Japanese team. In their opening game on Thursday from the Wakkanai City Sports Center - opened in February 2020 as one of the newer curling facilities in Japan - Morozumi handed Kaito Fujii of Miyota the hammer and a deuce in the second end to fall behind 2-0. Morozumi got a single back in the third end to get on the scoreboard, and from there put immense pressure on their young opponents to generate single-point steals in the fifth and sixth ends to take the lead, and added two more in the seventh end taking a 5-2 lead into the final end. Morozumi held Fujii to a single holding on for the 5-3 win. WAKKANAI: Game 1 - Morozumi vs Fujii: In game 2, Morozumi took on Taia Nakahara of Kitami, scoring a single in the first end, then stealing the second end to take an early 2-point lead. After a blank end, Nakahara scored one in the fourth end, with Morozumi matching that score in the fifth end to re-establish their two-point lead. In the sixth end, Morozumi pushed the lead to four, stealing two for a 5-1 lead, then held Nakahara to a single in the seventh end going on to win 5-2. Morozomi plays Toshiya Iida of Wakkanai in their lone game on Friday, then finishes the round-robin on Saturday against Kohsuke Hirata of Kitami. Watch all action through the Hokkaido Curling Tour YouTube with links posted to every game on the CurlingZone scoreboard. |