Scottish debutants Katie McMillan and Angus Bryce pushed Italy's defending champions to the limit in their final round-robin match as they earned qualification for the play-offs at the ACE & Company World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship in Geneva.
An 8-10 defeat at the extra end of a fiercely contested encounter brought to an end a five match winning run for the Scots, who looked set for a sixth win in a row until they conceded a four at the seventh end.
Even then, they showed their fighting qualities by scoring a three at the eighth to take the match into extra time, but by that stage results elsewhere meant they knew they had already secured a spot in the top three with a record of six wins and just three losses and they now head into the play-offs believing they are a match for all their rivals.
“It was a very competitive game which went back and forth," said Bryce. 
"We started off well and let it slip a little but we tried asking the question and we took it right to the last shot near enough, so I think if we can tighten up a little bit and we play them again then we can get them."
McMillan and Bryce had gone into that final round of round-robin matches in outright third spot, behind Canada and Italy but with only Switzerland and Korea among the rest in the 10 team pool, able to match the six wins they had achieved to that point.
As they headed into that extra end against the Italians, they consequently already knew they had done enough because the Swiss had been beaten by Canada and the Koreans by Czechia.
“We have qualified and that was the main goal and we were hoping we would do it by winning our game and not having to rely on any results but it’s a qualification so who cares now," said Bryce.
“We have said it before that we know if we play like we know we can which we have done during a few games this week we can beat whoever we want, so we know if we come out firing in the morning we know we have got a good chance."
That view is reinforced by the knowledge that they were the only pair to inflict defeat on the Canadians, who finished top of their pool, ahead of finishing level with Italy after the scheduled eight ends, so they feel ready for the knockout stages where they will meet Sweden in a bid to earn a re-match with Canada.
“We have got off to good starts in pretty much every game since day two, so doing that and staying in the game and just trying to give ourselves a chance in the last few ends is what we have been pretty good at," said Bryce.
"We just fell short in the seventh end there but we will not let that happen again.”
20 nations are taking part in The ACE & Company World Mixed Doubles Championships: Italy, Scotland, Australia, Estonia, United States, Canada, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Finland, Switzerland, Korea, Japan, Germany, Denmark, Czechia, China, France, Hungary and the Netherlands.
Please click here for more information about the ACE & Company World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, 25 April – 2 May, Geneva Switzerland
Watch LIVE games on the Curling Channel
Schedule and results:
Day 1 – 25 April
Scotland v USA – 12-2
Day 2 – 26 April
Scotland v Korea – 4-10
Scotland v Switzerland – 6-8
Day 3 – 27 April
Scotland v Finland – 8-7
Day 4 – 28 April
Scotland v Czechia – 9-2
Scotland v Canada – 8-5
Day 5 – 29 April
Scotland v Hungary – 11-5
Day 6 – 30 April
Scotland v Germany – 8-2
Scotland v Italy – 8-10 (EE)
Day 7 – 1 May
Qualifications - 0900 GMT
Semi Finals – 1800 GMT
Day 8 – 2 May
Bronze – 0900 GMT
Gold – 1300 GMT
