Scotland rebounded from initial setbacks against Sweden and Japan by securing vital victories over Canada and the host nation United States at the World Men's Curling Championship in Utah.

Currently, Ross Whyte's rink, defending the title previously held by Bruce Mouat, sits sixth in the round-robin standings after having played one more game than the teams above them.

In their match against John Shuster's USA rink, the Scots established an early lead by scoring two points in the opening end. A subsequent double at the fourth end put them ahead 4-2. Despite the Americans narrowing the gap to one point by the seventh end, the Scots maintained control, ultimately winning 6-4.

Prior to this, Scotland faced tough losses:

• 6-5 against Niklas Edin's Sweden, a seven-time world champion and 2022 Olympic gold medallist.
• 7-5 against Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi's Japanese rink.

Both rivals currently rank below Whyte's fifth-placed team, with Edin at 13th and Yamaguchi three spots lower.

In a commanding performance, Scotland triumphed over Matt Dunstone's fourth-ranked Canadians with an impressive 8-3 score, highlighted by a crucial three-point score at the fifth end, leading them to victory after just seven ends.

Whyte remarked, "That was really important. We actually felt that we played quite well yesterday and could easily have come out on the right side of both games. We know, if we can get ahead early, that's our best chance against great teams like Canada."

The Scots, represented by Whyte, along with Robin Brydone, Euan Kyle, and Craig Waddell, are competing after Mouat opted out post their silver medal win for Great Britain at the Cortina Olympics last month. Notably, the second and third-ranked teams, Brad Jacobs' Canadians and Yannick Schwaller's Switzerland, are also absent from this tournament.

Next, Whyte's rink is set to face Konrad Stych's Poland on Sunday, with Poland riding high after achieving their first-ever world championship victory against Marc Muskatewitz's 20th-ranked Germany, winning 11-4.