VANCOUVER — Canada’s Kevin Martin has won his opening game at the 2010 Winter Olympics. But it wasn’t easy.
The Edmonton skip jumped out to a 5-1 lead after four ends against Thomas Ulsrud but watched as the Norwegian battled his way back with three points in the fifth end to draw within one.
Canada blanked the sixth, seventh and eighth ends before Martin was forced to hit for one to take a 6-4 lead into the 10th and final end.
But Ulsrud tied it with two of his own forcing Martin to make a draw for a single point in the extra end for a 7-6 victory.
Sweden’s Niklas Edin scored the first upset of the tournament — dumping defending world champion David Murdoch of Britain 6-4.
In other games Markus Eggler of Switzerland defeated Denmark 6-5 and Germany’s Andy Kapp dumped John Shuster of the United States 7-5.