(by Jonathan Brazeau) YORKTON, Sask. — Brendan Bottcher upset red-hot Mike McEwen with a 6-3 victory and advanced to the semifinals of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling Canadian Open Saturday.

Brendan Bottcher (Photo: Anil Mungal)

Bottcher, the sponsor’s exemption at the tournament, trailed 3-2 after five and stunned the National champion with a score of four in the sixth.

McEwen, from Winnipeg, has won six of eight events and also reached the finals at the Masters.

The Edmonton rink of Bottcher, Tom Appelman, Bradley Thiessen and Karrick Martin take on local favourites Steve Laycock, Kirk Muyres, Colton Flasch and Dallan Muyres from Saskatoon in the semifinals.

Yorkton-born Laycock eased his final stone of the extra end into the house for shot to score a single and edge Jim Cotter, from Vernon/Kelowna, B.C., 6-5.

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Masters champion Brad Gushue scored a triple in the final end to lift his St. John’s, N.L., team to a 7-5 victory over reigning Olympic champion Brad Jacobs.

The two rinks traded deuces twice through the first four ends and Jacobs, from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., settled for one in the sixth to pull ahead 5-4. Gushue, the 2006 Olympic gold medallist, blanked the seventh to retain the hammer coming home.

Gushue will now face Calgary’s Kevin Koe, who reached the semis with a 7-2 win against Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers. Koe broke a 2-2 tie with a five-ender in the seventh and the two rinks shook hands.

Koe defeated Gushue to win the Canadian Open title a year ago.

Watch the Canadian Open semifinals live on Sportsnet East, Ontario, West and Pacific at 11 p.m. AT.

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