The team were still in with a chance Sunday, but lost both matches, 9:3 against South Korea, and a more creditable 5:3 to the U.S.

The pair have now played eight of nine round robin preliminary matches, and with two wins, over Sweden and Canada, and six losses, the record is insufficient to progress further. Estonia has one more match left, playing for pride against the Czech Republic on Monday. The winner of that match will finish ninth, the loser 10th and last.

Speaking to ERR's Maarja Värv after the South Korea matchup Sunday, Lill said they had had: "A poor start. The opponents played well, we didn't adapt to the conditions. That was enough — after the first two ends it was already an uphill climb and we took a lot of risks. The score was what it was, it was mostly about the first two ends."

"Nothing to say, at times it felt like they were taking silly risks and still making the shots. Hats off," he went on.

Kaldvee said the ice conditions in Milan tend to favor whoever takes the early lead. "On straighter and faster ice it's easier to protect a lead. We went ahead against [Canada] and it was easier for us, now it was easier for Korea. We should have made a better start to the game," she said.

Kaldvee and Lill had managed just one win, against Sweden, from their first five matches in Italy. The duo lost 9:7 in the opening match against Switzerland; to Great Britain 10:5; 7:4 to the host nation and reigning Olympic champions, and 6:5 against Norway, but on Saturday evening hope for progress remained in place after they defeated a strong Canadian pair 8:6.

Cheering on Estonia's curling duo Marie Kaldvee and Harri Lill today. Curling has quickly become a beloved new national sport for Estonians—rules learned, and favourite tactics already well known. #TeamEstonia pic.twitter.com/zqdHofCmfd

— Alar Karis (@AlarKaris) February 7, 2026

This meant their objective Sunday was straightforward: To get wins.

The South Korean pair Kim Seon-yeong – Jeong Yeong-seok, only had one win from six matches, but the Estonians fell five points behind after the first two ends.

While Kaldvee and Lill managed to reduce the deficit to four points with a power play in the third end, the South Koreans picked up two more points in the fourth end to take a decisive 7:1 lead. The Estonians picked up one point in the fifth end, but South Korea scored two in the next to go 9:2 up.

In the seventh end, the Koreans cleared the Estonian stones from play and Kaldvee – Lill chose with their final shot to knock their own stone out of the house and accept a 9:3 defeat. With that ended their hopes of reaching the semifinals.

The team still had to play the second-placed U.S., represented by 2023 world champions Cory Thiesse and Korey Dropkin. Despite Estonia being out and the U.S. still being very much in the hunt, the game was tight and dramatic and the score was 3:3 after six ends. However, on two decisive shots in both the seventh and eighth ends, Kaldvee had a run of poor luck, and the U.S. posted a 5:3 victory.

Before Sunday's competition day, Great Britain had earned seven consecutive victories, while the other top-four pairs — the United States, Italy and Sweden — had four wins each.

The Milano Cortina Olympic mixed doubles curling round robin concludes on Monday. The top four, likely Scotland/Great Britain, the U.S., Italy and Sweden, with Switzerland as an outside chance, will advance to the semifinals that same evening. The medals will be decided on Tuesday.

More on the rules and history of curling is here and here.

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