SHENZHEN, China - Japan's Mone Chiba won the Cup of China on Saturday to extend Japanese women's winning streak to three events at the start of the Grand Prix Series season.
Top after Friday's short program, last season's world championships runner-up Chiba scored 148.40 points in the free skate for a total of 224.48 in Shenzhen, claiming the third Grand Prix victory of her career.
The 21-year-old joined fellow Japanese winners Ami Nakai at the Grand Prix de France and Mao Shimada at Skate Canada International over the past two weeks.
"I was really nervous, but I remembered how much I love figure skating," said Chiba, who was flawless apart from landing her triple Lutz a quarter rotation short in a late combination.
"During the performance, I was able to trust myself and stay focused throughout. I was able to show what I've been working on in training."
Individual Neutral Athlete Alexandra Ignatova, the 2022 Winter Olympics silver medalist from Russia, topped the free skate on 148.90 after landing her opening quadruple Lutz. She came second overall on 221.27 and South Korea's Lee Hae In third on 210.79.
Chiba, who finished fourth at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics, sprained her right ankle in July and was sidelined for about a month before her recent resurgence.
"I'm relieved to be over the hump," she said. "My anxiety still seeps out during performances. I want to make adjustments so I can skate with full confidence."
Japan's Mako Yamashita was sixth on 193.32 and Rinka Watanabe 11th in the field of 12.
In pairs, Japan's Yuna Nagaoka and Sumitada Moriguchi won bronze for their first podium finish in the Grand Prix Series after finishing fourth in Friday's short program and third in Saturday's free skate for 181.50 overall.
"We've been practicing to get a medal at any cost, hoping to go for a place at the Grand Prix Final. It was really nice to be on the podium," said Nagaoka, who suffered a stress fracture in her right heel in April before fracturing her left foot in August in a traffic accident.
Anastasia Mishina and Aleksandr Galliamov from Russia won on 209.84, with Georgia's Anastasiia Metelkina and Luka Berulava second on 198.27.
