Kostner, Fernandez headline Cup of Moscow

Italy's Carolina Kostner and Spaniard Javier Fernandez headline the final in the six-leg ISU Grand Prix series starting in Moscow on Friday as the battle for the remaining berths in next month's final are up for grabs. The men's event will be without Russian icon Yevgeny Plushenko, who has withdrawn citing knee pain, although the former Olympic champion insists that he still intends to challenge for a spot at the Sochi Games. But in his absence all eyes will be on 22-year-old Fernandez, the European champion and world bronze medallist, looking to bounce back from a disappointing fifth at NHK Trophy this season. The final berths for the elite six-skater Grand Prix final in Fukuoka, Japan from December 5-8 are to play for with Canada's world champion Patrick Chan setting the bar high when he qualified in Paris last weekend. Fernandez will face a battle with Japanese skater Tatsuki Machida, who won this season's Skate America, along with local favourite Maxim Kovtun, second at the Cup of China, and hoping to stake his claim to Russia's sole Olympic men's berth. Meanwhile, world silver medallist Kostner faces a tough task in the women's event against Russian teenagers Julia Lipnitskaia and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva and a trio of Japanese skaters. Kostner, the 2012 world champion, has gotten off to a slow start as she bids for a third shot at an Olympic medal after finishing third in the Cup of China. The 26-year-old needs a win over two days of skating to book her berth to Fukuoka and join Japan's Mao Asada, already through along with American Ashley Wagner and Russians Adelina Sotnikova and Anna Pogorilaya. Russian champion Tuktamysheva finished just fourth at her season opener in Skate America and also needs to win. "I'm not really happy with the start of this season," said 16-year-old Tuktamysheva, the national champion. "Here in Moscow I'm hoping to produce solid performances in both programmes to receive serious points. "I'll do my best to get a pass into the Grand Prix finals but this is not a do-or-die goal for me. "It's just the start of the season and it's clear that the beginning of 2014 will be the season's most important part. We all still have time to prepare." Former world junior champion Lipnitskaia, 15, claimed her first Grand Prix medal at Skate Canada with a magnificent, seemingly flawless and technically superlative free skate that earned her a standing ovation. She will be one of the favourites in Moscow with Japanese hopes riding on Kanako Murakami, fourth at last year's worlds and the Cup of China, along with teammates Satoko Miyahara and Haruka Imai. The US contingent includes Mirai Nagasu, eighth at the NHK Trophy and Agnes Zawadzki, seventh at the Cup of China. Germany's four-time world champions Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy headline the pairs event. The Olympics bronze medallists finished top of the podium at the Cup of China. Their challengers are Canadian pair Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch, who were fourth at the last world championships, and took silver at Skate America. Russian champions Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev will be bidding for their first ice dancing gold after finishing second in the Cup of China. Canada's Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, Skate Canada runners-up, and Americans Madison Chock and Evan Bates, the Cup of China bronze medallists, are also in the running for the podium. Source: AFP