The ISU Grand Prix Skate Canada got underway in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, with the pairs short program and women's singles short program.

Mone Chiba, Japan's 2025 World Figure Skating Championships bronze medalist, took the top spot after the women's short program, skating a clean program to Donna Summer's 'Last Dance,' earning 72.29, and a program component score of 33.55.

Isabeau Levito came out with signature poise, receiving the highest component score of the event, with 34.72. Finishing the segment in 2nd place overall, she received a total score of 71.80. 

Levito executed a triple-flip-triple-toe-loop, double Axel and a triple-loop jump, crisp spins and overall, she showed the strong outing that the 2023 U.S. champion will be hoping to build on in the free skate.

"I felt really happy today," Levito said after the short program, adding that instead of focusing on any one element going into the event, she just did everything she could, one element at a time.

At the Grand Prix de France, Levito found herself in fourth place, despite posting her best total score in over two years. This makes the 2024 world silver medalist's performance in Canada crucial if she hopes to earn a berth at the Grand Prix Final in December.

Italy's Lara Naki Gutmann skated a clean short program to a medley by Massimiliano Mechelli with a total score of 68.11 to finish the first segment of her event in third place. 

After a stunning breakout performance during her debut at Grand Prix de France, Japan's Ami Nakai, 17, again attempted a triple Axel as one of the few women able to complete the difficult element. While successful in France, the risk did not pay off in Saskatoon, with a fall and a one-point deduction as a result. 

Nakai finished the short program with 66.55, far behind the 78 points she received in France. She heads into the free skate in 4th position overall. 

U.S. 2018 Olympian, Bradie Tennell, earning 65.55 and 5th place, took a confident step forward in her comeback, skating a powerful short program to 'Young and Beautiful' by Lana Del Rey, but falling short of the podium.

Sarah Everhardt rounded out the American contingent, and completed an intricate short program to 'Riverdance,' earning 63.47. With two spins receiving low levels, the 2025 U.S. bronze medalist fell short of her season's-best score of 69.16, and she heads into the free skate in 7th place. 

Skate Canada is the third stop of the six-event Grand Prix series that sees the worlds' top figure skaters vying to compete in the Grand Prix Final in Japan, December 4-7. Athletes must complete two Grand Prix events and typically will need to finish on the podium at both events to gain enough points to make the cut. 

In the pairs event, three-time Canadian and 2024 world champions, Deanna Stellato-Dudek and Maxime Deschamps, took second place behind Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin in the short program. 

With a near-flawless short program, the 2025 world silver and 2024 world bronze medalists, Fabienne Hase and Volodin scored 77.53, just a few percentage points behind their season's best and several points ahead of Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps, who finished the segment with 73.03. 

"We can do it a little better, and we do sometimes in practice," Fabienne Hase said. "But I think we are feeling more confident with each competition." 

Stellato-Dudek and Deschamps received only a level 1 for their required death spiral element, with Stellato-Dudek expressing some surprise about it following the conclusion of the pairs short program. 

Canadian teammates Lia Pereira and Trennt Michaud skated to a personal-best score of 70.66 in front of a home crowd in Saskatoon. Despite a one-point deduction for a time violation, the three-time national medalists head into the free skate in 3rd place after putting out a strong short program to Ed Sheeran's 'Say You Love Me.' 

Americans Ellie Kam and Danny O'Shea head into the free skate in 4th place with 65.48. With an underrotated side-by-side triple salchow and a step out of the throw triple loop, the 2025 U.S. bronze medalists will have to fight to finish the event on the podium.