The 2023 Australian Open: Promotions, Demotions, and Other Stats

2023 Australian Open Champions:

• Novak Djokovic (Dai-Yokozuna)

• Aryna Sabalenka (Komusubi, ex-Sekiwake)

New Career Sanyaku Rank:

• Elena Rybakova, the 45th Female Ozeki of the Open Era

• Aryna Sabalenka, the 46th Female Ozeki of the Open Era

• Karen Khachanov, the 79th Male Sekiwake of the Open Era

• Tommy Paul, the 95th Male Komusubi of the Open Era

• Magda Linette, the 74th Female Komusubi of the Open Era

Sanyaku Rank Changes

Player (career rank if different)	To	From
Promotions
Elena Rybakova	Ozeki	Komusubi
Aryna Sabalenka	Ozeki	Komusubi
Carlos Alcaraz	Sekiwake	Maegashira
Stefanos Tsistispas (ex-Ozeki)	Sekiwake	Komusubi
Karen Khachanov	Sekiwake	Komusubi
Tommy Paul	Komusubi	Maegashira
Karolina Pliskova (ex-Ozeki)	Komusubi	Maegashira
Vitoria Azalenka (ex-Ozeki)	Komusubi	Maegashira
Demotions
Alexander Zverev (ex-Ozeki)	Komusubi	Sekiwake
Maetto Berretini (ex-Ozeki)	Komusubi	Sekiwake
Nick Kyrgios	Komusubi	Sekiwake
Carlos Alcaraz	Komusubi	Sekiwake
Cori Gauff	Komusubi	Sekiwake
Daniil Medvedev (ex-Ozeki)	Maegashira	Komusubi
Jannik Sinner	Maegashira	Komusubi
Ashleigh Barty (ex-Ozeki)	Maegashira	Komusubi
Alja Tomljanovic	Maegashira	Komusubi
Caroline Garcia	Maegashira	Komusubi

Kinboshi:
("gold star" - prize awarded to a non-sanyaku ranked competitor for beating an active Yokozuna):

• Mackenzie McDonald for beating Dai-Yokozuna Rafael Nadal in Round 2

Other noteworthy developments:

• Dai-Yokozuna (=Great Grand Champion) Novak Djokovic won his 22nd grand slam title, thereby equalling Rafael Nadal's record. Nadal, by contrast, has not reached a grand slam quarterfinal since the 2022 Wimbledon Tournament and needs to make the quarterfinals at Roland Garros this year to remain an active Yokozuna.

• Ozeki (=Champion) Iga Swiatek, Ons Jabeur and Caspar Ruud all exited before the quarterfinals and therefore go kadoban: they need to reach the quarterfinals at the French Open to defend rank.

• Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) Andrey Rublev and Jessica Pegula held rank with quarterfinal participations.

Sanyaku Ranks Following the 2023 Australian Open

Men

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y	Novak Djokovic	Y	Rafael Nadal	Dai-Y
O	Casper Ruud (k)	O	-	-
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
O	Stefanos Tsitispas	S	Karen Khachanov	S
O	Alexander Zverev	K1	Matteo Berrettini	O
S	Nick Kyrgios	K2	Carlos Alcaraz	S
K	Andrey Rublev	K3	Tommy Paul	K

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
-	-	Y	-	-
O	Iga Swiatek (k)	O1	Ons Jabeur (k)	O
O	Aryna Sabalenka	O2	Elena Rybakina	O
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
-	-	S	-
S	Cori Gauff	K1	Jessica Pegula	K
K	Magda Linette	K2	Viktoria Azarenka	O
O	Karolina Pliskova	K3	-	-

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
Inactive Yokozuna: Andy Murray, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka
(k): kadoban
(o): Sekiwake-Ozeki

Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalanka, Ozeki

Elena Rybakina

Two ladies crosses the great hurdle to Ozeki (=Champion) at the 2023 Australian Open: Elena Rybakina and Aryna Sabalanka became the 45th and 46th female Ozeki of the open era. Both will meet on Saturday in the Australian Open final (the sanyaku rank lists will be updated once the tournament has completed). 

Rybakina earned the Ozeki promotion already with her quarterfinal victory over former Ozeki Jelena Ostapenko. She went on to defeat another ex-Ozeki - Viktoria Azarenka - in the semifinals. Rybakina's run comes two slams after her surprise Wimbledon victory in 2022, which propelled her into the elite of the sport.

Aryna Sabalenka

Sabalenka has been close to Ozeki before, however, previously her best grand slam runs had ended in the semifinals, last at the 2022 US Open. This time she went one step further by beating surprise semifinalist Magda Linette, who has earned a first-time promotion Komusubi (=Junior Champion II).

Ozeki Iga Swiatek had been on a Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) run, but went out in the 4th round to Rybakina. She therefore goes kadoban (i.e., needs to reach the quarterfinals at the French Open to defend rank), as does fellow Ozeki Ons Jabeur.

In the men's tournament, Komusubi Karen Khachanov secured a first-time promotion to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) by reaching back-to back grand slam seminals. He can even go one step further to Ozkei if he beats ex-Ozeki and current Komusubi Stefanos Tsitsipas in the semifinals. The other semifinal sees Dai-Yokozuna (Great Grand Champion)  Novak Djokovic face first-time semifinalist Tommy Paul, who has therefore also earned (at least) a Komusubi promotion.

Full updates will be posted once the tournament has completed.