With one week played at the US Open, several sanyaku ranking decisions have already been taken.
In the men's tournament:
- Novak Djokovic defended the Ozeki (=Champion) rank he has held since the US Open of 2007 by entering yet another grand slam quarterfinal.
. - By contrast, Ozeki debutant Juan Martin del Potro lost his 4th round match in a gruelling five-setter against Marin Cilic. Del Potro therefore goes kadoban and needs to reach the quarterfinals at the French Open to remain Ozeki. Cilic wins a first-time sanyaku promotion to Komusubi (=Junior Champion II).
. - To advance even further, Cilic would have to beat big-serving ex-Ozeki Andy Roddick, who is back at Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) after yet another five-setter over Komusubi and ex-Sekiwake Fernando Gonzalez. Gonzalez will be demoted to the Maegashira (=non-champion) ranks after the Australian Open.
. - Also through to the quarterfinals is Komusubi and ex-Sekiwake Andy Murray. Murray will meet next Yokozuna (= Grand Champion) Rafael Nadal, who continues to go strong just as fellow Yokozuna Roger Federer.
In the ladies' tournament:
- all (!) players ranked Ozeki, Sekiwake or Komusubi exited before the quarterfinals. This means: kadoban Ozeki for Kim Clijsters, demotion to Sekiwake for Dinara Safina and Elena Dementieva (who were already kadoban going into the Australian Open), demotion to Komusubi for Svetlana Kuznetsova and Carolina Wozniacki, and demotion to Maegashira for Yanina Wickmayer.
. - Wickmayer gave a good fight to dormant Yokozuna Justine Henin, however, who returned to grand slam tennis for the first time in 2 years and needs to win just one more match--against hard-hitting ex-Sekiwake Nadia Petrova--to reactiviate her Yokozuna status.
. - A re-promotion to at least Komusubi have already earned quarterfinal participants Viktoria Azarenka and Na Li, who will be followed by the winner of Maria Kirilenko vs. Jie Zheng.
. - Meanwhile, the Yokozuna Serena and Venus Williams continue to cruise through the field.
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