The Australian Open 2009 start with an unusual banzuke on both the mens' and the ladies' side, and with a great chance to see the first Ozeki promotion since the US Open 2007.
- Only five male players enter the Australian Open with Sanyaku (championship) rank, a record low that attests of the dominace of the top dogs: the Yokozuna (=Grand Champions) Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, and Ozeki (=Champion) Novak Djokovic
- The ladies' banzuke is headed by the seasoned Yokozuna sisters Serena and Venus Williams. There is no Ozeki: both Ana Ivanovic and Maria Sharapova lost Ozeki status in 2008, and there has been no Ozeki promotion since Wimbledon 2007.
- There is a great chance that the Australian Open will produce a new Ozeki. On the men's side, a semifinal participation would make shooting start Andy Murray the 28th male Ozeki of the open era. On the ladies' side, Jelena Jankovic also needs a semifinal for an Ozeki promotion--the 29th of the open era--Dinara Safina a final. Safina would therefore attain the same career rank as her brother, Marat Safin. Also, former Ozeki Ana Ivanovic and Elena Dementieva could regain champion status if they reached the semis.
- Several Maegashira are worth having and eye on for a possible first time Sanyaku promotion. On the mens' side, Juan Martin del Potro and Gilles Simon have convinced with strong performances in late 2008. Del Potro comes into the Australian Open with a quarterfinal participation at the US Open, hence another quarterfinal would propel him to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II). Simon needs a seminfal. On the ladies' side, US Open quarterfinalist Flavia Pennetta is a player to watch out for.
- Komusubi and long-time former Ozeki Maria Sharpova had to withdraw once again with injury. She will therefore drop out of the Sanyaku ranks for the first time since 2004.
The table below shows the top banzuke ranks. The Sanyaku ranks are determined by the Yokozunatennis ranking system, the Maegashira ranks are filled up according to the seeding list. The full banzuke is published here.
| Career rank 1/ | Seed | East | Current Rank | West | Seed | Career rank 1/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Sanyaku (Champion Ranks) | ||||||
| Y | 2 | Roger Federer | Y | Rafael Nadal | 1 | Y |
| O | 3 | Novak Djokovic | O | - | - | - |
| Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks) | ||||||
| S | 4 | Andy Murray | S | - | - | - |
| O | 7 | Andy Roddick | K | - | - | - |
| High Maegashira | ||||||
| S | 5 | Jo-Wilfried Tsonga | M1 | Gilles Simon | 6 | - |
| - | 8 | Juan Martin del Potro | M2 | James Blake | 9 | - |
| S | 10 | David Nalbandian | M3 | David Ferrer | 11 | S |
| Career rank 1/ | Seed | East | Current Rank | West | Seed | Career rank 1/ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Sanyaku (Champion Ranks) | ||||||
| Y | 2 | Serena Williams | Y | Venus Williams | 6 | Y |
| Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks) | ||||||
| S | 1 | Jelena Jankovic | S | Elena Dementieva | 4 | O |
| S | 3 | Dinara Safina | S | Ana Ivanovic | 5 | O |
| K | 14 | Patty Schnyder | K | Maria Sharapova | (wd) | O |
| Maegashira | ||||||
| - | 7 | Vera Zvonareva | M1 | Svetlana Kuznetsova | 8 | O |
| K | 9 | Agniezska Radwanska | M2 | Nadia Petrova | 10 | S |
| - | 11 | Caroline Wozniacki | M3 | Flavia Pennetta | 12 | - |
1/ Career-high Sanyaku rank, if applicable.
No comments:
Post a Comment