Sanyaku Ranks Following the 2013 Australian Open

All Yokozuna and Ozeki runs were stopped before completion, thus the Australian Open failed to produce high-profile promotions.

• In the mens' game, tournament champion Novak Djokovic remains the top Yokozuna (Grand Champion), ahead of semifinalist Roger Federer and the injured Rafael Nadal. Nadal has now to reach the seminfals at his favorite tournament - the French Open - to remain an active Yokozuna. In a reversal of the result last September at the US Open, Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Murray lost the final to Djokovic, which blocked Murray's progression to Yokozuna - at least for now.  

• David Ferrer reached another grand slam semifinal and thus remains Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I). A possible promotion Ozeki was prevented by a superb Djokovic in the semifinals. Ferrer is joined at Sekiwake by ex-Ozeki and quarterfinalist Tomas Berdych.  Ex-Seiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga defended Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) rank, but ex-Ozeki Juan Martin del Potro - also ranked Komusubi before the tournament - missed the quarterfinals and therefore drops out of the sanyaku ranks.

• In the ladies' game, Viktoria Azarenka won her second Australian Open and remains the top Ozeki, ahead of semifinalist Maria Sharapova. A tournament victory at the French Open and either of them would be promoted Yokozuna: Azarenka under standard the back-to-back-titles rule, Sharapova for winning 5 grand slam titles over the course of her career. For now, however, Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams continues to reign as the only active Yokozuna, even though in Australia she exited unexpectedly early in the quarterfinals.

• Pre-tournament Ozeki Samantha Stosur and Petra Kvitova both missed the quarterfinals. Stosur goes kadoban as a result, and has to reach the quarterfinals at the French Open to defend her rank. Kvitova was already kadoban, and therefore gets demoted to Sekiwake, where she will be joined by finalist and ex-Ozeki Na Li, and by quarterfinalist Agnieszka Radwanska. Sara Errani exited early and drops to Komusubi, a rank she'll share with with first-time sanyaku ranked player and surprise semifinalist Sloane Stephens - the 57th female Komusubi of the open era.

In short, the sanyaku-ranks after the 2013 Australian Open look as follows:

Men

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

 

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y	Serena Williams	Y	-	-
O	Viktoria Azarenka	O1	Maria Sharapova	O
O	Samantha Stosur*	O2	-	O
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O	Petra Kvitova	S1	Agnieszka Radwanska	S
O	Na Li	S2	-	-
S	Sara Errani	K	Sloane Stephens	K

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
* kadoban
Venus Williams is an 'inactive' Yokozuna

Murray and Sharapova Remain on Yokozuna Runs

Australian Open 2013 Pre-Semifinal Update

As the Australian Open enter their hot phase, the two players with a shot at a Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) have thus far convinced with impressive displays of power and precision.

Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Murray earned the shot with his triumph at the 2012 U.S. Open. A back-to-back slam title in Melbourne would have the Scot advance to Yokozuna - he would be the 17th male player in the open era to do so. In the first five matches, Murray did not drop a set, although the luck of the draw spared Murray any current or former sanyaku (=champion) ranked player. This is going to change. To ascend to the highest rank, Murray  will have to beat Dai-Yokozuna (=great Grand Champion) and living legend Roger Federer in the semis, and (probably) Yokozuna and world #1 Novak Djokovic in the final. It would be a worthy path to the pinnacle of the game indeed.

Also in with a shot is veteran female Ozeki Maria Sharapova. Sharapova is arguably already the most succesful female Ozeki of the open era, winning four grand slam titles since her first Ozeki promotion in 2004 (as a 17 year old) - although never back-to-back. A fifth title would elevate the charismatic Russian to Yokozuna regardless. Sharapova's chances look encouraging especially now that Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams exited surprisingly in the quarterfinals - an opponent against who Sharapova had lost her last nine matches. Thus far Sharapova has blasted through her opponents, including (inactive) Yokozuna Venus Williams. The road to Yokozuna takes her next to former Ozeki Na Li, and then possibly to fellow Ozeki, defending champion and world #1 Viktoria Azarenka.

In other developments, Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) David Ferrer is one win away from a career-high Ozeki  promotion. And even if Ferrer does not jump the "big hurdle" (this is what Ozeki means literally in Japanese) here - after all, Djokovic is waiting in the semifinals, against who Ferrer has a poor career record - chances are decent for the 2013 French Open, when a spot in the seminfinals would suffice. Quarterfinalist and ex-Ozeki Tomas Berdych returns to Sekiwake, while ex-Sekiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga holds Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) rank. Former Ozeki Juan Martin del Potro failed to qualify for the quarterfinals and drops out of the sanyaku ranks.

In the ladies' game, Sloane Stephens will earn a first-time sanyaku promotion for her quarter-final heroics against Serena Williams - at least to Komusubi, and possible to Sekiwake if Stephens beats Azarenka in the semis. Na Li also returns to sanyaku; she would even get her Ozeki rank back if she wins the tournament. Quarterfinalist Agnieszka Radwanska regains Sekiwake rank, where she will be joined by Petra Kvitova, who missed two grand slam quarterfinals in a row and hence gets demoted from Ozeki. Ozeki Samantha Stosur also lost early and thus goes kadoban, i.e. is at risk of losing Ozeki rank at the French open. Sara Errani recedes one rank to Komusbi, while ex-Sekiwake Angelique Kerber drops out of the sanyaku ranks altogether.