SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen improved to a 4-0 record at the Players’ Championship with a 7-4 victory over Toronto’s John Epping on Friday morning.

McEwen broke a 4-4 tie with a deuce in the sixth and a steal of one in the seventh for a three-point advantage. The two rinks shook hands when Epping ran out of rocks in the eighth.

“I think we’re rolling with the punches pretty good and we’re making our own breaks,” McEwen said. “I think we’re handling the conditions pretty well, especially with the five-rock (rule) there’s going to be plenty of opportunities to score points.

“You can’t hang your head if another team cracks a couple good ends. You just have to do your thing with the hammer and come back at them so we’ve rebounded pretty well when we have slipped.”

McEwen is looking forward to his final round-robin match against Olympic champion Brad Jacobs in the evening draw. Jacobs’s team from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., holds a 2-1 record in the tournament.

“The pressure is on them,” McEwen said. “If they want to be a playoff team, they’ve got to beat us. We don’t need any motivation, we’re already in the playoffs and into the semis.”

In the women’s division, Ottawa’s Rachel Homan (3-2) advanced to the playoffs with a 7-5 win over Switzerland’s Michele Jaggi. Homan trailed 5-4 after the seventh but held the hammer coming home and scored three in the final end.

As winners of the Masters, Homan’s team has a chance to earn a $100,000 bonus if they also capture the Players’ title.

Elsewhere, Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin (1-4) ended her tournament on a high note edging Scotland’s Eve Muirhead 8-6 with a double in the final end. Muirhead moves on with a 4-1 record.

Sherry Middaugh, from Coldwater, Ont., brushed aside Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones 7-1 in six ends. Middaugh jumped out with a single in the first, steals of one in the second and third and stole three in the fourth to pull away. Middaugh closes round-robin play with a 2-3 record while Jones, at 3-2, advances to the playoffs.

Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson rallied in the final end to score a deuce and win 6-5 over Switzerland’s Silvana Tirinzoni. Both teams advance with 4-1 records.