On Retirement Day, Dementieva Edges One Closer to Regaining Ozeki Status

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Three of today's five completed 4th round matches were decided because a player had to call it quits.

In the mens' tournament, M1W Gilles Simon moved to his first grand grand slam quarterfinal after M4E and former Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) Gael Monfils had to give up with an injured wrist, being 1-2 sets down. The other three remaining 4th-round matches are still to be played.

In the ladies' tournament, Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Serena Wiliams lost the first set to M4E Victoria Azarenka, but Azarenka could not complete the second set. Serena will now meet M1W and former Ozeki (= Champion) Svetlana Kuznetsova in the quarterfinals, who got free passage against M8E and former Komusubi Jie Zheng.

A clean win was recorded by the young, unseeded Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro, who beat copatriot Annabel Medina Garriques (M7W) in two sets. Suarez, who had eliminated Yokozuna Venus Williams in the second round, enters her second grand slam quarterfinal after the French Open 2008. She will face Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) Elena Dementieva, who blasted past M6E Dominika Cibulkova. Dementieva came into the Australian Open with semifinal participations at Wimbledon and the US Open, and is therefore only one win way of regaining Ozeki status that she last held at the French Open of 2005.

Del Potro Secures First-Time Sanyaku Promotion, Jankovic's Ozeki is Run Off

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The 2009 Australian Open are entering the decisive phase.

Maegashira M2E Juan Martin del Potro reached the quarterfinals by beating M7W Marin Cilic in four sets. Together with his quarterfinal participation at the 2008 US Open this secures del Potro's promotion to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II), his career-first sanyaku rank. Another win in the quarterfinals and the Argentine is Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I). Three more wins and the 2009 Australian Open title and he is Ozeki (=Champion). In the quarterfinals, del Potro will meet Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Roger Federer, who had more trouble than expected with M8W Tomas Berdyrch.

Also in the quarterfinals is Komusubi (and former Ozeki) Andy Roddick, where he will probably face the defending Australian Open champion, Ozeki Novak Djokovic. Djokovic is two sets up against the unseeded ex-Sekiwake Marcos Baghdatis as this is written.

In the ladies' tournament, Jelena Jankovic's Ozeki run got derailed by a clear defeat to M5E and former Sekiwake Marion Bartoli. Jankovic drops to from Sekiwake to Komusubi, together with fellow Serb and former Ozeki Ana Ivanovic. All is not lost though: a final at the French Open in June and Jankovic can still become Ozeki.

Still on track is Dinara Safina, however, after surviving a scare against M4W Alice Cornet in a hard-fought three-set victory. Safina has therefore already defended her Sekiwake rank; two more victories in the quarter- and seminfinals and Safina will be the ladies' 29th Ozeki of the open era. Next she will meet the unseeded former Komusubi Jelena Dokic, who -- frenetically supported by the Australian audience -- is having an impressive combeack after a three-year absence from Grand Slam tennis.

Also through to the quarterfinals is top-ranked Maegashira 1E Vera Zvonareva. Her quarterfinal opponent will be Bartoli; with the winner being guaranteed to get promoted to the sanyaku ranks for the French Open.

Hope to see you back, Maria

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With the withdrawal from the 2009 Australian Open, long-term Ozeki Maria Sharapova will drop out of the Sanyaku (=Championship) ranks for the first time since 2004, when the burst onto the scene by winning Wimbledon and gaining an immediate promotion to Ozeki.

Sharapova's career achievements to date make her already one of the strongest Ozeki (=Champions) of the open era. After Wimbledon 2004, Sharapova won two more slams, the US Open 2006 and the Australian Open 2008. She has therefore collected as many open titles as the Yokozuna Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport. Among female career-high Ozeki, only Virginia Wade matches her achievements.

Sharapova entered 15 grand slam tournaments as Ozeki. At one point -- the Australian Open 2007 -- she was only one victory away from a Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) promotion, when she lost the final to a spirited Serena Williams. Sharapova had lost Ozeki rank before -- after sub-par performances at Wimbledon and the US Open 2007 -- but regained it brilliantly by winning last year's Australian Open. Thereafter Sharapova's game fell apart due to injuries, however, forcing her to miss the last two slams altogether.

It's easy to forget over these achievements that Sharapova is still only 21: almost two years younger than world #1 Jelena Jankovic, one year younger than Dinara Safina, and just 7 months older than Ana Ivanovic. If healthy and motivated, Sharapova should be able to enjoy many more years at the top.

And ladies' tennis needs her. Since Justine Henin's retirement, the scene has again been dominated by the ageing but, on their day, still overwhelming Williams sisters, both established Yokozuna. Other than them, no female player has managed to even establish herself as Ozeki recently, a short-lived interlude by Ana Ivanovic last year notwithstanding. What a contast to the mens' game, where Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray have closed in on the phenomenal Yokozuna-double Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer, and where other exciting players -- del Potro, Tsonga, Monfils -- are breathing down the leaders' neck.

Ladies' tennis needs badly the starpower and brilliance Sharapova can produce. Get healthy, Maria, and hope to see you back.

Maria Sharapova

Career-High Ozeki
Born April 19, 1987 in Nyagan, Russia
Grand Slam Achievements
	Australian	French	Wimbledon	US	Total
Titles	1	0	1	1	3
Finals	1	0	0	0	1
Semifinals	2	1	2	1	6
Quarterfinals	0	2	0	0	2
Career points	11	4	8	6	29
Tournament rank	O	K	O	O	O
Career Timeline
Year	Tournament	Rank Pre-T	Result	Rank Post-T	Career points
2003	A	-	R1	-	0
2003	F	-	R1	-	0
2003	W	-	R4	-	0
2003	U	-	R2	-	0
2004	A	-	R3	-	0
2004	F	-	QF	-	1
2004	W	-	Win (1)	O	5
2004	U	O	R3	O*	5
2005	A	O*	SF	O	7
2005	F	O	QF	O	8
2005	W	O	SF	O	10
2005	U	O	SF	O	12
2006	A	O	SF	O	14
2006	F	O	R4	O*	14
2006	W	O*	SF	O	16
2006	U	O	Win (2)	O	20
2007	A	O	F	O	23
2007	F	O	SF	O	25
2007	W	O	R4	O*	25
2007	U	O*	R3	S	25
2008	A	S	Win (3)	O	29
2008	F	O	R4	O*	29
2008	W	O*	R2	S	29
2008	U	S	-	K	29
2009	A	K	-	-	29

* Kadoban

Australian Open 2009: Banzuke and Preview

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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.

Men

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

Women

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.

2008 in Review

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The top players are currently fighting out the end-year tennis championship, but this year's Grand Slam tennis--and therefore the tournaments relevant for the Yokozuna Tennis--ended with the U.S. Open in September. Here is the resumee for 2008.

11 male and 13 female players held Sanyaku rank over the course of 2008. 4 male and 5 female players were High Sanyakuy (active Yokozuna or Ozeki).

7 male and 8 female players got promoted. 3 male and 3 female players climbed to to a new career-high rank: Rafael Nadal (Yokozuna), Andy Murray (Sekiwake), Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (Sekiwake), Dinara Safina (Sekiwake), Agnieszka Radwanska (Komosubi), and Jie Zheng (Komosubi). There was no new Ozeki promotion.

The title player of 2008 is shared between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal on the mens' side. On the womens' side it goes to Serena Williams. Federer and Nadal reached all four grand slam semi-finals; Nadal's two titles contrast with Federer's one title and two lost finals. Serena Williams had a relatively weak first half of the season, but restablished herself as the women to beat with a victory at the U.S. Open and a narrowly lost final (against her sister Venus) at Wimbledon.

The retirement of 2008 was Justine Henin's surprising withdrawal from professional tennis before the French Open, leaving the Williams sisters as the only active female Yokozuna. The Williamses promptly re-took control of the scene in the second half of the year.

The promotion of 2008 was undoubtedly Rafael Nadal's elevation to Yokozuna, as a result of winning back-to-back titles at the French Open and Wimbledon. Nadal is the 15th male Yokozuna of the open era. He had been Ozeki since 2006.

The rising stars of 2008 .... click here for the full article (with complete 2008 performance statistics)

Tournament-Specific Yokozuna and Ozeki

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The Yokozuna tennis ranking criteria can be applied not only to a player's overall Grand Slam tennis career, but also to individual Grand Slam tournaments--a player winning two consecutive Wimbledon tournaments is a "Wimbledon Yokozuna", a player reaching and losing back-to-back French Open finals is a "French Open Ozeki", and so on.

Such ratings yield two insights 1/:

• the identify the open era greats of specific tournaments, and
• they allow to distinguish "generalists" from "specialists". A "generalist" obtained high Sanyaku ranks at all or most Grand Slam events, a "specialist" did well only at selected tournaments.

As the table below shows (much more extensive tables are linked up at the bottom), in the history of open era tennis only two players managed to become tournament specific (TS) Yokozuna at all four Grand Slams: Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf. Six others obtained three TS Yokozuna ranks. Roger Federer, Ivan Lendl, Margaret Court and Chris Evert added a TS Ozeki rank to this tally, Stefan Edberg and Monical Seles a TS Sekiwake rank. By contrast, the Dai-Yokozuna Pete Sampras and Billie Jean King are missing from the very top of the list, as most of their triumphs came at just two tourmaments: Wimbledon and the US Open (Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg are also missing, but this owes to special factors--Laver because of his short career during the open era, Borg because he skipped the Australian Open in most years).

Top Generalists of the Open Era

	Overall Career Rank	# of specific Y-O-S-K	Australian  Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open
Men
Roger Federer	Dai-Yokozuna	3-1-0-0	Yokozuna	Ozeki	Yokozuna	Yokozuna
Ivan Lendl	Yokozuna	3-1-0-0	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Ozeki	Yokozuna
Stefan Edberg	Yokozuna	3-0-1-0	Yokozuna	Sekiwake	Yokozuna	Yokozuna
Women
Martina Navratilova	Dai-Yokozuna	4-0-0-0	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Yokozuna
Steffi Graf	Dai-Yokozuna	4-0-0-0	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Yokozuna
Margaret Court	Dai-Yokozuna	3-1-0-0	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Ozeki	Yokozuna
Chris Evert	Dai-Yokozuna	3-1-0-0	Ozeki	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Yokozuna
Monica Seles	Dai-Yokozuna	3-0-1-0	Yokozuna	Yokozuna	Sekiwake	Yokozuna

For complete statistics--and a discussion of them--see:

1) TS ranks by slam: a list of all TS Yokozuna and Ozeki by Grand Slam tournament

2) TS ranks by player: tournament-specific ranks of all players who attained TS Yokozuna or Ozeki status at one or more Grand Slams

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1/ I owe the idea to "fast clay", a poster on http://www.menstennisforums.com/.