Yue Cong and Zhuoming Sun had to withdraw before the short dance and did not compete at all. I don't know why they withdrew from the event, but them withdrawing was overshadowed significantly by the other team that withdrew.
Kaitlin Hawayek and Jean-Luc Baker had to withdraw during the warmup for the free. Apparently, Kaitlin had food poisoning and wasn't able to skate. Their short dance was good, but not exceptional.
Elena Ilinykh and Ruslan Ziganshin got bronze in China and they have made significant strides since pairing up. They are one of the only teams that has been extremely successful in the last year after pairing up following the Olympics. They're skating well, but they will have to watch out for their former partners Victoria Sinitsina and Nikita Katsalapov, who did far better than I could have anticipated at Skate America.
Chock and Bates, surprisingly, did not win the Cup of China, coming in second to Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte. Chock and Bates skated well, but they do not have the technical ability and basic skating skills expected from the world's top teams. Madison in particular could use some more time on the skating skills, she certainly sells the skating, but does not have the skills to match her performance level.
Anna Cappellini and Luca Lanotte made a comeback at their first Grand Prix this season after a disappointing season following their victory at worlds in 2014. Their programs are not the most exciting or original, but there is no denying she sells the program as well as Madison Chock, but they have better skating skills overall.
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