Bruce Mouat and Jenn Dodds: Team GB curling duo slip up against Swiss after flying start to their quest for Winter Olympics gold

Great Britain' s curling mixed doubles pair slipped to their first defeat, 8-7 in a tense match against Switzerland, after starting with impressive wins over Sweden and Canada at the Ice Cube in Beijing.

Dodds and Mouat have won two matches and lost one as they aim to secure a semi-final spot.

No country to have played three matches so far is unbeaten in the mixed doubles, which is featuring in the Games for only the second time.

Mouat and Dodds face Australia at 05:35 GMT on Friday, before the opening ceremony marks the symbolic start of the Games later in the day.

All 10 teams play each other in the group stage, with the top four securing a semi-final plans and the chance to play for a medal.

The Edinburgh pair lived up to their billing as gold medal favourites by winning their first two matches against two of their biggest rivals.

They delivered the birthday present they promised coach Greg Drummond with a 6-4 win over defending champions Canada, thanks to a superb stone by Dodds in the final end.

“I think it was a step up from last night’s game,” said Dodds, who delivered the draw that sealed up victory in the final end.

“We figured out the ice a bit better and it stayed the same speed through the whole game, so I think that gave us a lot of trust – we could really sweep stones to the point we wanted.”

A second successive triumph was a perfect way for the pair’s coach Greg Drummond, who won silver as part of David Murdoch’s team in Sochi, to celebrate his 33rd birthday.

Dodds said: “Bruce wrote in his birthday card yesterday, ‘Your birthday present will be two wins.’ And I was like ‘Oh wow, that’s confidence!’ So he’s got his birthday present.

“Obviously yesterday we both said we were nervous, first game at your first Olympics you’re always going to have nerves but today we were more settled.

“We are going to get used to this place as we are going to be here for a while.”

Mouat added: “I think it’s a wee bit early to look too far ahead, I think this field is so deep in talent that it’s really hard to look too far ahead.”

“We’ve seen this venue from the [Summer] Olympics already, so we’ve dreamt about being at an Olympics for so long. To be at a venue where so many athletes have achieved such great things, it really feels like an honour to be on the ice and to be part of the Olympic history that is happening.

“It does feel different to me, obviously Worlds and Europeans are great fun but the Olympics is always the dream that everyone aspires to especially in curling. To be here living it and winning some games is a dream come true.”

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