Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia won the pairs short program by a wide margin Friday night at Skate America.
Performing to "I Got You" by James Brown, the Russian pair earned 71.24 points. That was nearly nine points better than Russian teammates Alisa Efimova and Alexander Korovin, who totaled 62.38 points.
Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nolan Segert, the final pair in the first group, were third with 60.04.
Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, of Russia, perform during the pairs short program at Skate America, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Everett, Wash. (AP PhotoTed S. Warren)
All three American pairs had deductions for falls. Ashley Cain and Timothy LeDuc were fourth, the husband-wife combo of Chris Knierim and Alexa Scimeca Knierim were fifth, and the duo of Nica Digerness and Danny Neudecker were seventh.
Tarasova and Morozov are coming off a strong season in which they won the European Championships, finished second at the Worlds and fourth at the Olympics. Two weeks ago, they won the ISU Challenger Series Finlandia Trophy.
The pairs free skate is set for Saturday.
Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov, of Russia, perform during the pairs short program at Skate America, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Everett, Wash. (AP PhotoTed S. Warren)
Minerva Fabienne Hase, top, and Nolan Seegert, of Germany, perform during the pairs short program at Skate America, Friday, Oct. 19, 2018, in Everett, Wash. (AP PhotoTed S. Warren)