Latvia's men's curling team finishes unbeaten to win "Riga Open 2026" title
At the international curling tournament "Riga Open 2026" in Riga, Latvia's men's team beat Latvia's women's team 5:2 in the final, going undefeated throughout the event. Ukraine's team for the deaf and hard of hearing took bronze with a 5:4 win.
The international curling tournament "Riga Open 2026" concluded on September 6 at the Riga Curling Hall, featuring 12 teams competing in a round-robin format across three groups. The final pitted two Latvian national teams against each other – the men's and the women's squads.
The match opened with two scoreless ends before Evelīna Barone's women's team scored two points in the third end. However, Arnis Veidemanis' men's team leveled the score in the fourth end, and subsequent misses by the opponents allowed the men to seize control. The final ended in a 5:2 victory for Latvia's men's team, which remained unbeaten throughout the entire tournament.
In a tense bronze-medal match, Ukraine's team for the deaf and hard of hearing edged Latvia's junior team, led by skip Agate Regža, 5:4, with the winner decided only on the final stone of the eighth end.
Road to the final
In the round-robin stage, Latvia's men's team, the Latvian junior women led by Agate Regža, and Ukraine's deaf and hard of hearing men's team all won every match in their respective groups, securing semifinal berths. The fourth semifinal spot went to Evelīna Barone's team based on tiebreaker criteria; her lineup included Ukrainian player Eduards Nikolovs in several matches.
In the semifinals, Barone's team beat the junior squad 6:5 in the final end after the juniors made a small error, while Latvia's men's team defeated Ukraine's men's team 6:4. Ukraine had narrowed an earlier deficit built up by Veidemanis but could not complete the comeback in the last end.
The final standings placed Latvia's men's and women's teams first and second, followed by Ukraine's men's team, Latvia's junior team, Latvia's junior men's team, and several other Latvian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian squads. The tournament was supported by the Latvian Sports Federations Council and intervals.lv.
