Verner wins Cup of Russia

Verner produced an open triple lutz and a triple-double-double cascade to the music of Michael Jackson and crucially, unlike Canada's Chan and American Abbot, did not fall.

The 2008 European champion Verner scored 230.31 to earn a berth in next month's Grand Prix final.

He edged out Chan, who won Skate Canada last month, by 3.1 points with US champion Abbott completing the podium on 217.21.

In the women's event, 2007 world champion Miki Ando of Japan climbed from fifth place to snatch victory from compatriot Akiko Suzuki.

Ando scored 174.47 to beat 25-year-old Suzuki by 2.73 points and repeat the result from the Cup of China earlier this month.

Ashley Wagner climbed above fellow American Agnes Zawadzki to complete the podium.

In the pairs, Russian duo Yuko Kavaguti and Alexander Smirnov confidently entered their only Grand Prix event of this season with victory on home ice, finishing over 17 points ahead of Japanese duo Narumi Takahashi and Mervin Tran.

Injuries plagued the ice dance section of the event as home favourite's Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev eased to victory.

The 2010 Russian silver medallists, skating to Melody of the White Nights, beat Hungarian duo Nora Hoffman and Maxim Zavozin by 12 points to pick up their first victory of the year.

The second Russian pairing of Elena Ilinykh and Nikita Katsalapova finished third.