Defending champion Kaori Sakamoto of Japan placed fifth in the women's short program at the 2025 World Figure Skating Championships in Boston on Wednesday, while

China's An Xiangyi, making her worlds debut, finished 27th with 47.52 points and did not qualify for the free skate.

Sakamoto, the 2022, 2023 and 2024 world champion and 2022 Olympic bronze medalist, scored 71.03 in the short program. The 24-year-old, who also earned a silver at the 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin earlier this year, trails Liu by 3.55 points heading into Friday's free skate.

Liu led a tight podium race, narrowly edging Japan's Mone Chiba (73.44) and Isabeau Levito of the U.S. (73.33). Japan's Wakaba Higuchi sits fourth (72.10).

Failing to make the top 24, An, 18, missed the chance of advancing to the free skate.

"There was excitement competing at my first worlds, but also pressure to fight for an Olympic spot," An said. "I'm disappointed I didn't skate well today."

In the pairs, Japan's Riku Miura and Ryuichi Kihara, the 2025 Four Continents champions, led with 76.57 points, followed by Italy's Sara Conti and Niccolo Macii (74.61) and Germany's Minerva Fabienne Hase and Nikita Volodin (73.59).

The action continues on Thursday with the men's short program and pairs free skate.