Ana Ivanovic lost her Ozeki rank during the U.S. Open while Novak Djokovic defended his--but there are no less than 5 players left with a chance to get promoted to Ozeki themselves.
- The best chances has arguably Elena Dementieva (S, former O), who was Ozeki already in 2004 but was unable to keep the title for more than two tournaments. A win over Jelena Jankovic in the semifinal would get the Russian back up to the second-highest rank, given that Dementieva carries over a semifinal participation from Wimbledon.
- Participation in the U.S. Open final would also trigger an Ozeki promotion for French Open finalist Dinara Safina (K, former S). With this, the Russian would attain the same career-high rank as her brother, Marat Safin. But in her semifinal Serena Williams and therefore an active Yokozuna will be waiting--a big hurdle.
- French Open semifinalist Jelena Jankovic (K, former S) can also become an Ozeki, but she would have to win the tournament.
- In the mens' field, Andy Murray secured a first-time Sekiwake promotion today with his quarterfinal victory over Juan Martin del Potro. The tournament title would propel him all the way up to Ozeki, given that he carries over a quarterfinal participation from Wimbledon. He will have to beat Rafael Nadal (Y) and possibly Roger Federer (Y) or Novak Djokovic (O) to this end, however.
- Finally, if Andy Roddick (K, former O) wins the tournament he would re-gain Ozeki rank for a third-time, owing to the two-GS-title rule.
No comments:
Post a Comment