Russian star Evgenia Medvedeva and world champion Nathan Chen had difficult starts to the Internationaux de France in Grenoble on Friday, with the duo both sitting third after the short programmes.
The 19-year-old Medvedeva, who took Olympic silver earlier this year behind compatriot Alina Zagitova, could only manage 67.55 points for her routine in the last event before the Grand Prix Finals.
She sits 0.40 points adrift of early pace-setter Mai Mihara of Japan, with Rika Kihira second on 67.64.
American Chen, also 19, is almost 10 points off the lead set by his fellow countryman Jason Brown after scoring just 86.94 for his performance to ‘Caravan’ by Fanfare Ciocarlia.
Chen also struggled in the short programme at the Pyeongchang Olympics, before a stunning free skate saw him finish fifth overall.
He has it all to do again to snatch top spot at the weekend, with Russia’s Alexander Samarin in second place on 90.86.
Olympic ice dance silver medallists Guillaume Cizeron and Gabriella Papadakis lead the way after delighting their home French crowd with a short programme that scored 84.13 points.
