An All-Yokozuna Mens' Final

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Rafael Nadal followed his fellow Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Roger Federer into the Australian Open final by wrestling his compatriot M5E Fernando Verdasco to defeat in five gruelling and gripping sets.

This is the 7th time Federer and Nadal meet in a Grand Slam final, but the first time for both to meet as Yozokuna. The last all-Yokozuna Grand Slam final was at the 2005 US Open, when Federer beat Andre Agassi in four sets.

It's hard to make out a clear favorite: while Nadal leads Federer 12-6 head-to-head (5-2 at slams), he trails Federer 2-3 on hard court, and Federer's record at the Australian Open is much better. Plus, Federer has looked awesome at these Open even since he overcame M8W Tomas Berdych in a tight five-setter in round 4.

Verdasco (picture) earns a career-first promotion to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) for his heroics, joining Andy Murray -- demoted from Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) -- and fellow first-time Komusubi Juan Martin del Potro at this rank. The other failed semi-finalist, former Ozeki (=Champion) Andy Roddick, who fell in three entertaining sets to Federer, moves up one rank from Komusubi to Sekiwake.

After the Australian Open, the mens' sanyaku-line-up will therefore be as follows:

Yokozuna: Federer, Nadal
Ozeki: Djokovic
Sekiwake: Roddick (up from K)
Komusubi: Murray (down from S), del Potro (up from M2), Verdasco (up from M5).

Safina Follows Dementieva to Ozeki; Serena One Win Away from Dai-Yokozuna Status

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Something rather unusual happened in the ladies' game: two promtions to Ozeki (=Champion) in one tournament. Elena Dementieva secured her Ozeki re-promotion by entering the third consecutive GS semifinal, even though she lost the semi to Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Serena Williams, who saved her best tennis for this match (Dementieva had already been an Ozeki in 2004/05).

Now Dinara Safina has made the same step, overcoming her compatriot Vera Zvonareva in the semifinals. This plus Safinas semifinal participation at the US Open fulfills the promotion requirements to Ozeki. Safina has therefore reached the same career-high rank as her charismatic elder brother, two-time grand slam winner Marat Safin.

Ozeki promotions are rare enough -- Safina will be the 29th female Ozeki of the open era (along side 27 male career-high Ozeki) -- but double-Ozeki promotions are extremely rare. In the ladies' game it has happened only once right at the beginning of the open era, when Anne Haydon-Jones and Nancy Richey made it to Ozeki at the Wimbledon tournament of 1968. In mens' open era tennis, the only double promotion has been Gustavo Kuerten's and Magnus Norman's at the French Open of 2000.

The majority of Ozeki have won one (14 female/11 male players) or more (5 female/12 male players) grand slam titles in their careers. It is to be hoped that Dementieva and Safina can live up to this standard. Safina will have an opportunity tonight when she battles the magnificent Serena Williams.

Should Safina fail at this occasion, something out of the ordinary would happen: Serena would win her 10th grand slam title, which is the common threshold for being considered a Dai-Yokozuna (great Grand Champion). Since the beginning of the open era, only six female and four male Dai-Yokozuna have been recognized as Dai-Yokozuna: Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles; Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, and Roger Federer. Serena would join an outstanding elite group indeed.

Finally, the post-Australian Open ladies' sanyaku line-up is set:

Yokozuna: S. Williams, V. Williams
Ozeki: Safina (up from S), Dementieva (up from S)
Sekiwake: none
Komusubi: Jankovic (down from S), Ivanovic (down from S), Zvonareva (up from M1).

Demoted from Komusubi to Maegashira: Sharapova, Schnyder.

Dementieva Returns to Ozeki, the Yokozuna Are on Track

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After almost 5 years in the lower echelons, Elena Dementieva is again a Champion

Three female players entered the Australian Open needing only a semifinal for a promotion to Ozeki (=Champion): French Open champion Ana Ivanovic, who had just lost Ozeki status after disappointing performances at Wimbledon and the US Open; world #1 Jelena Jankovic, who had been at the lower sanyaku ranks for more than 2 years, had repeatedly toyed with an Ozeki promotion and came to Australia as the US Open finalist; and Dementieva, who had quietly restablished herself as an elite player, reaching back-to-back semifinals at Wimbledon and the US Open.

In the end it was Dementieva--maybe the longest shot of the three--how suceeded. Ivanovic and Jankovic exited early and will be demoted to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II). By contrast, Dementieva sailed through the field, stopping the Spanish sensation Carla Suarez Navarro in the quarterfinals in two one-sided sets. Dementieva regains therefore Ozeki status she had first earned in 2004, after reaching the finals at the French and the US Open. At the time she could not hold on to the rank for long, hopefully she will do better this time. In the semifinals Dementieva will meet Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) Serena Williams, who looked vulnerable in her quarterfinal against M1W and former Ozeki Svetlana Kuznetsova.

The other female player who can still become Ozeki is Dinara Safina, who would need a victory in her semifinal against M1E Vera Zvonareva. However, Zvonareva has shown outstanding performances thus far, and a semifinal victory for her, together with a promotion to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I), seems at least as plausible.

In the mens' tournament, an all-Yokozuna final is well within each. After Roger Federer's quarterfinal triumph of yesterday, Rafael Nadal shook of the pesty Frenchman Gilles Simon (M1W) in three sets. Nadal's surprise opponent will be his countryman Fernando Verdasco (M5E), who followed up on his victory over Sekiwake Andy Murray with the elimination of the 2008 finalist, M1E and former Sekiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, and has therefore earned the first sanyaku promotion of his career.

The Andys Swap Places

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Never write off a champion -- the old battle horse Andy "A-Rod" Roddick is climbing again up the sanyaku ranks.

Andy Roddick beat the defending champion, Ozeki (= Champion) Novak Djokovic, when the latter melted under the Melbourne heat and retired at the beginning of the fourth set, being 1-2 sets down. The former long-time Ozeki Roddick therefore rises from Komusubi (= Junior Champion II) to Sekiwake (= Junior Champion I), swapping places with Scotsman Andy Murray. Roddick could even make it back to Ozeki if he wins the tournament, but in the semifinal his nemesis Yokozuna (= Grand Champion) Roger Federer will be waiting, who pulverized Juan Martin del Potro (M2E) in three one-sided sets. Del Potro's sanyaku debut therefore comes to a halt at Komusubi.

In the ladies' tournament, top-ranked Maegashira Vera Zvonareva (M1E) stormed past former Sekiwake Marion Bartoli (M5E) to secure a first-time sanyaku promotion. In the semis she meets Sekiwake Dinara Safina, who edged local favorite Jelena Dokic (unseeded, a former Komusubi) in an error prone three-setter. If Safina wins the semifinal she will get promoted to Ozeki, if Zvonareva wins she will march through to Sekiwake.

The Quarterfinals--How They Line Up

The quarterfinal draw of the 2009 Australian Open is complete. Most favorites have made it, with the notable exceptions of Yokozuna Venus Williams and the Sekiwake Andy Murray, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic. Especially in the ladies' field there are a few new faces. From now on, every match will affect the future sanyaku line-up (=championship ranks).

Nadal, Federer and Serena Williams are Yokozuna (=Grand Champions) and hold the rank for life. Defending AO champion Djokovic has already secured Ozeki (=Champion) status until at least Wimbledon 09 by reaching the quarterfinals. He could start a Yokozuna run if he wins the tournament again.

Safina and Dementieva have already defended Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I)rank. Dementieva is just one victory away from regaining the Ozeki status she held last in early 2005. Safina needs to win both her quarter- and semifinal to get a first-time Ozeki promotion.

Former Ozeki Andy Roddick has already defended Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) status. A win over Djokovic would get him back to Sekiwake, a tournament victory to Ozeki. Del Potro is the other male player with a remote chance for an Ozeki promotion. He would also need to win the tournament, a victory over Federer in the quarterfinals and del Potro is Sekiwake.

Simon, Tsonga, Verdasco, Zvonareva, Bartoli, Dokic, Suarez and Kuznetsova need to win their quarterfinal to enter the sanyaku ranks. For Simon, Zvonareva and Suarez this would be a first-time sanyaku promotion, for Tsonga, Bartoli, Dokic and Kuznetsova a return to champion status. The matches Tsonga vs. Vedasco and Zvonareva vs. Bartoli are guaranteed to produce a Komusubi promotion.

Andy Murray, Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic will be demoted from Sekiwake to Komusubi as a result of their early exits from the tournament. Maria Sharapova and Patty Schnyder will drop out of the Sanyaku ranks.

The Australian Open 2009 Quarterfinals

Men
Rafael Nadal (Y)	vs.	Gilles Simon (M1)
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (M1, former S)	vs.	Fernando Verdasco (M5)
Novak Djokovic (O)	vs.	Andy Roddick (K, former O)
Roger Federer (Y)	vs.	Juan Martin Del Potro (M2)
Women
Vera Zvonareva (M1)	vs.	Marion Bartoli (M5, former S)
Dinara Safina (S)	vs.	Jelena Dokic (-, former K)
Elena Dementieva (S)	vs.	Carla Suarez Navarro (-)
Serena Williams (Y)	vs.	Svetlana Kuznetsova (M2, former O)

Komusubi, not Ozeki, for Andy Murray

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Andy Murray entered the 2009 Australian Open as a strong Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I), with the US Open 2008 final under his belt and repeated wins over top players like Dai-Yokozuna Roger Federer. A semi-final participation down under and Murray would have been the 28th Ozeki (=Champion) of the open era.

In the event, Murray didn't even reach the quarterfinals, as he fell in five sets to an inspired Fernando Verdasco (Maegashira 5E). Murray gets therefore demoted to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II). Murray remains in a strong position though: a quarterfinal at the French Open and he'd be back at Sekiwake, a final and he would get the Ozeki promotion at Roland Garros. Given Murray's obvious talent and increasingly mature attitude, it may be that we just have to wait a little longer for the first male British Ozeki of the open era (there have been female British Ozeki -- Anne Haydon-Jones, Virginia Wade,and Sue Barker).

But not now. The only male players left in the tournament with a remoted chance of an Ozeki promotion are Juan Martin del Potro (M2E, Komusubi-promotion secured) and Andy Roddick (K1E). Either would have to win the tournament, however.

Murray's conqueror Verdasco will meet M1E and former Sekiwake Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the quarterfinals, who demolished M2W James Blake in three sets. The winner is guaranteed a promotion to Komusubi. The quarterfinal line-up is completed by Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) rafel Nadal, who had little trouble with M4W and ex-Sekiwake Fernando Gonzalez and will now play the aspiring Frenchman Gilles Simon (M1W).