Novak Djokovic Shows why he is a Yokozuna

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It was Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) against Yokozuna, world #1 against world #2, defending champion against last year's finalist - and in the end Novak Djokovic - who had been promoted to Yokozuna only at Wimbledon this year - had the better end for himself. If there were any lingering doubts whether he is worthy of a Yokozuna title these were put to rest tonight once and for all.

After a somewhat disappointing start during which Rafael Nadal seemed tense and restrained, the match exploded in the third set, when Nadal, with his back to the wall, suddenly played at the highest level and produced incredible shots. He was met though by a Novak Djokovic who was not prepared to retreat an inch. Trading repeated breaks (with Djokovic serving for the match at 6-5) the set went into the tiebreaker that Nadal claimed.

In the fourth set both players looked like damaged goods. At first Djokovic seemed in worse shape than Nadal, grabbing his hip and receiving treatment on the court. But it was Nadal who failed to run down balls, overhit shorts, and made the errors - a far cry from the fellow who had showed up in the third. In the end Nadal lost 2-6, 4-6, 7-6, 1-6.

Little will happen to the sanyaku (=championship) ranks as a result of these U.S. Open, as the semifinals were completed by the third Yokozuna, Roger Federer, and Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Murray. Given the dominance of these four, there is little space for anyone else. Only Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) and ex-Ozeki Tomas Berdych at Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) have secured spots on the sanyaku banzuke going into the 2012 Australian Open. Compare this to no less than 12 sanyaku ranked ladies.

Men

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y	Novak Djokovic	Y1	Rafael Nadal	Y
Y	Roger Federer	Y2	-	-
O	Andy Murray	O	-	-
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
S	Jo-Wilfried Tsonga	S	-	-
O	Tomas Berdych	K	-	-

Samantha Stosur Takes New York

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How on earth did she do that?

Yes, we knew Samantha Stosur had Grand Slam champion potential, having reached the final at Roland Garros in 2010 and losing - as the favorite - to Francesca Schiavone. And we knew that with her muscular, top-spin based game she was a difficult match-up for Dai-Yokozuna (=great Grand Champion) Serena Williams. But beating this Serena Williams, who had come back from long-term injury with renewed intensity and force? Who had outclassed Stosur only a month ago in Toronto? Who had rushed through the tournament toying with her opponents almost at will? And beating her 6-2, 6-3?

But here she is: Sam Stosur, having crushed the arguably greatest female player of her generation, and winning her first grand slam title at the age of 27. Stosur dominated for most of the match - only at the beginning at the second set, when Serena set some energy free after getting into a dispute with the chair umpire, did it look for a moment as if the match could move away from Stosur. But the Australian kept her composure, and outmuscled, outpressured Williams until the latter crumbled - a feat few players have done with a healthy Serena since the latter broke through into world class some 10 years ago.

Stosur gets re-promoted to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) as a result, and rank she held already in 2010. She would make it even to Ozeki (=Champion) if she reached the quarterfinal at her home slam down under - something she has not managed to do thus far, however. Serena reactivates her Yokozuna status, after a layoff of almost a year.

With the Yokozuna Serena, her sister Venus and Kim Clijsters absent for much of the year, this grand slam season has seen much variation in the ladies' game. Clijsters, Na Li, Petra Kvitova, and now Stosur won the big titles. With the exception of Kvitova, these are all ladies in an advanced tennis age.

Below are the ladies' sanyaku ranked players going into the Australian Open 2012. No less than 11 female players hold sanyaku rank at this juncture, showing how spread out over many shoulders success has been recently in the ladies' game (compare this to just 6 male sanyaku ranked players). At this tournament, surprise semfinalist Angelique Kerber and repeat quarterfinalist (after the French Open 2011) Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova earned career-first Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) promotions - they are the 58th and 59th female Komusubi of the open era.

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Y	Serena Williams	Y	Kim Clijsters	Y
Y	Venus Williams	Y(ia)	-	-
O	Maria Sharapova*	O	-	-
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O	Na Li	S1	Vera Zvonareva	O
S	Samantha Stosur	S2	-	-
S	Petra Kvitova	K1	Marion Bartoli	S
S	Caroline Wozniacki	K2	Angelique Kerber	K
K	Andrea Petkovic	K3	Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova	K

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
(ia) inactive
* kadoban

A Yokozuna Final for the Men, Serena back in Charge at the Women's

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Dai-Yokozuna (Great Grand Champion) Rafael Nadal and newly promoted Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Novak Djokovic will play the mens' final of the 2011 U.S. Open, in a repeat of last year's U.S. Open final (that Nadal won) and this year's Wimbledon final (that Djokovic won). Djokovic eliminated the other Dai-Yokozuna, Roger Federer, in a five-setter that Federer should have won, being up 5-3, 40-15 in the fifth. Nadal controlled Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Murray in the other semifinal.

The four U.S. top-rated champions sliced up most of the cake between them at the 2011 slams: of the 16 slam semi-finalists, 14 were called Federer, Nadal, Djokovic, or Murray. The exceptions were David Ferrer, who made the Australian Open semifinals after beating an injured Nadal, and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, who wrestled Federer down in another five-setter at Wimbledon. Federer got his revenge this time, but Tsonga's quarterfinal participation gets him promoted back to his career-high rank of Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I). The only other sanyaku (championship) ranked player will be ex-Ozeki Tomas Berdych, who had another disappointing tournament and will fall to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II).

In the ladies' game, the only constant is that when Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams is healthy she dominates. In the final she'll meet a resurgent Samantha Stosur, who will get re-promoted to her former career high rank of Sekiwake as a result (win or lose). Stosur, with her muscular, top-spin based game may have the best chance to trouble Serena at this tournament. The only player that came close for a set was Victoria Azarenka, who had the bad luck of meeting Serena in the third round.

But apart from Serena, the ladies' game continues to be in disarray, with no persistent strong challenger emerging. Serena's sister Venus and Kim Clijsters - the two fellow Yokozuna - could play this role but are too often injured (in fact Venus will lose active Yokozuna status after this tournament, with no strong slam result in a year). Other than that, players that held much promise - like French Open champion Na Li, or Vera Zvonareva (both ex-Ozeki that will be Sekiwake after this tournament) - have failed to maintain the level that their games had earlier this year/by the end 2010, respectively. Petra Kvitova, who looked so strong at Wimbledon, had a poor tournament and drops back to Komusubi. Maria Sharapova goes kadoban right after regaining her Ozeki title at the all England Championships. And world #1 Caroline Woziacki's ultra-defensive game just doesn't suffice to get the results at the slams, as her one-sided semi-final loss against Serena Williams demonstrated.

This said, much talent is peaking through at the ladies', with surprise semifinalists Angelique Kerber and quarterfinalist Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova earning a first-time Komusubi promotion.