Twelve U.S. skaters venture to Shenzhen, China, this week for Cup of China, the third of six competitions in the 2026 ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Series.

U.S. Figure Skating will be represented in each discipline, with action taking place inside the Shenzhen Universiade Sports Centre.

Alina Bonillo and Sophie Joline von Felten will each make their Grand Prix Series debut in the women's event.

Bonillo arrives with two competitions under her belt this season, including a first-place finish at the 2026 Bavarian Open in Germany.

Von Felten, sixth in her senior debut at the 2026 Prevagen U.S. Figure Skating Championships, has also competed twice this season, including placing fourth at the 34th Nepela Memorial Challenger Series event.

Two of the country's up-and-coming men, Jacob Sanchez and Lucius Kazanecki, will attempt to take a major step in their burgeoning careers.

Sanchez finished eighth last month at Grand Prix de France. He's coming off a breakthrough Olympic season that included placing fourth at the 2026 U.S. Championships and ended with a 12th-place finish at his first World Championships.

Kazanecki will make his Grand Prix Series debut. Sixth at the 2026 World Junior Championships, he launched the current season with a 13th-place finish at the 2026 Kinoshita Group Cup.

In pairs, Valentina Plazas and Maximiliano Fernandez will compete for the sixth time in the Grand Prix Series dating back to 2022. Sixth at the 2026 U.S. Championships, they kicked off the current campaign by placing fifth at the Kinoshita Group Cup and sixth at the 2026 Nebelhorn Trophy.

Chelsea Liu and Ryan Bedard, partners since 2025, will make their Grand Prix Series debut. They placed fourth in September at the Kinoshita Group Cup.
Veteran ice dance teams and training mates Emily Bratti and Ian Somerville, and Eva Pate and Logan Bye will look to give their careers a boost.

Bratti and Somerville are seeking their second Grand Prix Series medal; they earned the bronze medal at 2024 Grand Prix de France. They've competed twice this season, securing the bronze medal at the 2026 Lombardia Trophy in Italy.

Pate and Bye will compete for the second time this Grand Prix season, having finished sixth at Grand Prix de France. The kicked off the current season with a silver-medal finish at the 2026 Lake Placid Ice Dance International.

Competition kicks off Friday, Nov. 6 at 1:45 a.m. ET with the rhythm dance. The women's short program follows at 3:25 a.m. ET, with the pairs short program and men's short program after. The free dance begins Saturday, Nov. 7 at 1:30 a.m. ET, followed by the women's free skate and pairs free skate. The men's free skate takes place Sunday, Nov. 8 at 12 a.m. ET.

Peacock will livestream every skater with all events available for 72 hours following their conclusion. Competition highlights will air on NBC Sunday, Nov. 8 at 12 p.m. ET. 

The Grand Prix Series, which started in 1995, consists of six international events in a cumulative point-scoring format. Each athlete or team is eligible to score points in up to two of the six scheduled events. The top six point-earners in each discipline qualify for the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating Final 2026, set for Dec. 10-13 in Chongqing, China.  

For a full schedule, results, news and more, visit the 2026 Grand Prix Series Competition Central.