GRENOBLE, France: Russia’s Alina Zagitova rebounded from an error-laden short program on Saturday to earn her second grand prix title this month and qualify for next month’s final, while Javier Fernandez of Spain fell twice but still won the men’s title. Performing to “Don Quixote” at the Internationaux de France in Grenoble, world junior champion Zagitova cleanly executed all the elements of her jump-packed free program, earning first place with a total of 213.80 points. Wearing a red tutu, the 15-year-old demonstrated her ability to bounce back after a rough short program on Friday in which she fell on her triple lutz triple toe combination, as well as on her triple flip. “I am not very pleased with my short program because not everything worked out, but I am pleased with the free skating because I did everything to the maximum,” Zagitova told the International Skating Union (ISU) website. With wins at the France and China grand prix events, Zagitova has secured a spot in her first senior-level Grand Prix Final in Japan.Compatriot Maria Sotskova, who had finished second behind Canada’s Kaetlyn Osmond in the short program on Friday, finished second overall with 208.78 points, expertly executing a triple lutz triple toeloop combination at the start of her skate. Osmond failed to capitalise on her lead in the short programme, finishing third with 206.77 points.Despite performing a series of quality jumps in her free program, Osmond took a step after her double axel-triple toeloop combination before falling on her triple loop. But her third place in France and her Skate Canada title are enough to see her through to the Grand Prix Final, taking place two months before the start of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. After having taken the lead on Friday with a stellar season-best performance in the short program, Fernandez fell on his quad salchow and triple axel in his free skate but still managed to win the title with 283.71 points. Fernandez was not at his best at the China grand prix event earlier this month, struggling on three jumps in his free program to take sixth place.But in France on Saturday, the two-time world champion finished more than 10 points ahead of Japan’s Shoma Uno, who also fell twice in his free program.
