SAINT JOHN, N.B. -- Rachel Homan was still waiting to throw her final stone for a win at the world curling championship Tuesday.

At both the Canadian championships, where her team went unbeaten in 13 games, and at this week's Ford World Women's Curling Championship, even seeing her Canadian team in a 10th end has been akin to spying an exotic animal in the wild.

Her Ottawa Curling Club team has made a habit out of wrapping up wins early in 2014 with the exception of a loss to Switzerland at the world championship Sunday. Conversely, it was the Canadians shaking hands after eight ends in the face of a four-point deficit.

But Homan has gone through both the Scotties Tournament of Hearts and her first six games of the world championship without throwing her last shot of the 10th for a win.

The Canadian skip didn't feel her team requires a suspenseful game as a dress rehearsal for a possible playoff game later in the week.

"I've had a lot of white-knuckle games in my life. I'd be OK not throwing my last shot for the rest of the tournament," the 24-year-old Homan said Tuesday.

"If it comes down to it, I'm ready for it. I've done it before. I've thrown some big shots this week already. Whatever happens, if we keep playing strong, I'm good with what we're doing."

Homan, vice Emma Miskew, second Alison Kreviazuk and lead Lisa Weagle played one 10th end in their first six games in Saint John, and Homan didn't throw her final stone because Russian skip Anna Sidorova missed a draw.

Canada was fully in control again Tuesday morning against Latvia's Evita Regza, who shook hands after nine ends with Canada up 8-4.

With a game against Scotland scheduled for the evening, the Canadians were tied for second with Switzerland's Binia Feltscher at 5-1 behind Sweden's Margaretha Sigfridsson at 6-1.

South Korea's Ji-sun Kim handed the Swiss their first loss of the tournament with a 9-2 victory in the afternoon.

South Korea and Russia were both 5-2 ahead of China's Liu Sijia at 4-2 and Allison Pottinger at 3-3.

Scotland's Kerry Barr was 2-4 followed by Germany's Imogen Oona Lehmann, Denmark's Madeleine Dupont and Latvia at 1-5 and Anna Kubeskova of the Czech Republic at 0-6.

The top four teams at the conclusion of the preliminary round Thursday advance to playoffs. Canada takes on Germany and South Korea on Wednesday and finishes against China and Sweden on Thursday.

The Canadians led the field in scoring points with hammer, which Miskew said is one reason their wins have looked routine.

"Game management," Miskew said. "Rachel calls a great game and we play a game where we don't give up a ton of steals.

"If we can keep managing to take points when we have hammer and not give up too many points when they have hammer, we can usually manage a game up to a certain point that we have a big enough lead. That's usually the goal."

Homan won bronze at last year's world championship in Riga, Latvia. That country is competing in its third women's world curling championship after appearances as the host team in 2013 and their debut in 2010 in Swift Current, Sask.

There is one two-sheet curling club in Riga. The curlers must use hockey ice elsewhere, Regza said.

"Curling in Latvia is only 12 years old, like a baby," the Latvian skip said. "Only the last few years we've had a curling hall."

So when the Latvians had opportunities to score big points against Canada, they lacked the confidence to go for it. There was the option of an angle tap for three in the second end, but Regza opted for a safe draw for two to tie the game 2-2.

Instead of gambling on a tough double takeout for three points in the fourth, the Latvian skip tried to wick off one of her own stones and tap a Canadian stone off the button for one.

It didn't work as a measurement on Canadian and Latvian counters determined it was a steal of one for Canada.

"You see some different shots," Homan said. "It's whatever they're comfortable with and we're just going to keep our strategy."