Wimbledon 2008--the Pre-Quarterfinal Summary (updated)

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Wimbledon is at the first decisive threshold: the quarterfinals. Reaching the quarterfinal is a precondition for defending Sanyaku ranks that do not enjoy rank protecion. The Sanyaku rank demotions post Wimbledon are therefore determined. Possible promotions will be decided in the remaining five tournament days.

The first Wimbledon week had its more than fair share of upsets: all Sanyaku ranked players except the active Yokozuna (Federer and the Williams sisters) and Ozeki Rafael Nadal failed to make the quarterfinals. The last ones to crash out were the female Sekiwake trio Jelena Jankovic, Svetlana Kuznetsova and Dinara Safina, triggering a mass demotion to Komosubi.

Some promotions are also already secured: Elena Dementieva (former O) and Agniezska Radwanska will be promoted at least to Komosubi, as they came into the tournament with quarterfinals reached at the French/the Austrialian Open, respectively. For Radwanska this will be the first time she holds Sanyaku rank. Many old hands are giving a strong showing at these championships, including former Ozeki Marat Safin (the older brother of Dinara Safina) and the former Sekiwake Rainer Schuettler, Arnaud Clement, Nicole Vaidisova and Nadia Petrova.

Men's Quarterfinals

Federer (Y, seeded 1)	vs.	Ancic (former K)	6-1, 7-5, 6-4
Safin (former O)	vs.	Lopez (-, 31)	3-6, 7-5, 7-6, 6-3
Schuettler (former S)	vs.	Clement (former S)	6-3, 5-7, 7-6, 6-7, 8-6
Murray (-, 12)	vs.	Nadal (O, 2)	3-6, 2-6, 4-6

Women's Quarterfinals

Zheng	vs.	Vaidisova (former S, 18)	6-2, 5-7, 6-1
Radwanska (-,14)	vs.	S. Williams (Y, 6)	4-6, 0-6
Dementieva (former O, 5)	vs.	Petrova (former S, 21)	6-1, 6-7, 6-3
V. Williams (Y, 7)	vs.	Tanasugarn	6-4, 6-3

Promotions (already secured)
Dementieva from non-ranked to Sekiwake
Safin, Schuettler, Zheng, Radwanska from non-ranked to Komosubi

Demotions
[Djokovic, Ivanovic from Ozeki to kadoban Ozeki]
Sharapova from kadoban Ozeki to Sekiwake
Ferrer, Roddick, Jankovic, Kuznetsova, Safina from Sekiwake to Komosubi
Monfils, Tsonga from Komosubi to non-ranked

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Out Goes Ana

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The third of four Ozekis left the tournament today--world #1 Ana Ivanovic lost to Jie Zheng of China 1-6 4-6, which, or course, ends her Yokozuna run. Instead she will go as kadoban Ozeki to the U.S. Open. The only remaining Ozeki is Rafael Nadal.

The female field seems wide open now. The always dangerous Williams sisters--both accomplished Yokozunas--ought to be tournament favorites now, even though the have been less dominant recently as they used to. Serena had little difficulties to dispose of ex-Wimbledon champion and former Ozeki Amelie Mauresmo today. But watch out for the Sekiwake Dinara Safina, Jelena Jankovic and Svetlana Kuznetsova (former O), all of which have been playing fine tennis thus far. A good result in Wimbledon would get them to Ozeki--a semifinal in the case of up-and-coming Safina and Jankovic, a final for veteran Kuznetsova.

Also out is Sekiwake David Ferrer who lost in fours sets to big serving Croat Mario Ancic, a former Komosubi. Ferrer will therefore follow Andy Roddick down to Komosubi. Unless there is a surprise finalist there will be no male Sekiwake at the U.S. Open.

Farewell to Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick

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The exit of favorites (and Sanyaku-ranked players) continues -- Maria Sharapova (O) and Andy Roddick (S, former O) failed to advance beyond the second round. Sharapova lost without much fanfare to her little-known compatriot Alla Kudryavtseva 2-6, 4-6, Roddick stumbled over word No,. 40 Janko Tipsarevic of Serbia, losing 7-6, 5-7, 4-6, 6-7.

Sharapova--an former Wimbledon champion who has several times been close to Yokozuna promotion in her career--is kadoban Ozeki and will therefore be demoted to Sekiwake after this tournament. Roddick will fall to the bottom of the Sanyaku ranks at Komosubi.

Inactive Yokozuna Lindsay Davenport withdrew from the tournament with a knee injury.

Novak Djokovic out of Wimbledon

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This is how fast dreams can burst: a few days back Bjorn Borg identified Djokovic as the #2 favorite to win Wimbledon, and now Djokovic has already exited the tournament, losing his second-round match in straight sets to ex-world #1, two-times Grand Slam winner and former Ozeki Marat Safin, 4-6, 6-7, 2-6.

This aborts Djokovic's Yokozuna run; instead he goes as kadoban Ozeki to the U.S. Open where he will need to reach the quarterfinals to defend the rank. But given how the young Serb has shaken the tennis world in the past 15 months, it would be a surprise if he would not bounce back from this defeat.

Djokovic's compatriot and fellow Yokozuna candidate Ana Ivanovic had to fight tooth and nail to keep her chances alive, edging out Natalie Dechy of France, a former Komosubi, by the smallest of margins, 6-7, 7-6, 10-8.

Pre-Wimbledon 2008 Summary

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Wimbledon has started, and from a "tennis sumo" perspective this is a particularly interesting tournament: no less than three players are on Yokozuna runs and would be promoted to the highest rank if they win the title.

• The Wimbledon title would get long-standing Ozeki Rafael Nadal to Y for two reasons: back-to-back wins after his triumph at the French Open, and the 5th Grand Slam title of his career,
• Ana Invanovic (back-to-back wins), and
• Novak Djokovic--a win would produce a series W-SF-W that also suffices to get promoted to Y.

Yokozuna promotions are rare--after all there have been only 14 male and 15 female Yokozuna since the beginning of the open era in 1968. The most recent promotions were as far back as 2004 (Roger Federer) and 2003 (Justine Henin). However, with Federer's dominance under attack, the chance for a male Yokozuna promotion seems to have increased, and the women's field is wide open after the retirement of Justine Henin and the recent weaker performances of the Williams sisters.

The Wimbledon basho (line-up):

MEN:

Roger Federer (Yokozuna, seeded 1)
Rafael Nadal (Ozeki, 2)
Novak Djokovic (Ozeki, 3)

David Ferrer (Sekiwake, 5)
Andy Roddick (Sekiwake, former O, 6)
[Gael Monfils (Komosubi), withdrew]
[Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Komosubi), withdrew]

WOMEN:

Serena Williams (Yokozuna, 6)
Venus Williams (Yokozuna, 7)
Lindsay Davenport (inactive Yokozuna, 25)
Ana Ivanovic (Ozeki, 1)
Maria Sharapova (Ozeki, 3)

Jelenea Jankovic (Sekiwake, 2)
Svetlana Kuznetsova (Sekiwake, former O, 4)
Dinara Safina (Sekiwake, 9)

No female Komosubi

Maria Sharapova is kadoban Ozeki and needs to reach the quarterfinals to defend her rank. Andy Roddick just got demoted from Ozeki and needs to reach the seminfals to return to Ozeki--a rank he fist obtained in 2003.

The following players are on Yokozuna/Ozeki runs:

Yokozuna runs:

• Ozekis Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Ana Ivanovic. As written above, each player needs to win Wimbledon to get promoted to Yokozuna.
• Lindsay Davenport can reactivate her Yokozuna status by reaching the semi-finals.

Ozeki runs:

• S Andy Roddick, S Jelena Jankovic and S Dinara Safina get promoted to O if they reach the semifinals,
• S Svetlana Kuznetsova (former O) if she reaches the final,
• S David Ferrer and the non-ranked players Ernests Gulbris, Nicolas Almagro, Fernando Gonzales (formner S), Elena Dementieva (former O), Daniela Hantuchova (former K), Patty Schnyder (former K), Kaia Kanepi and Carloa Suarez Navarro if the win the tournament.