Maria Sharapova, Yokozuna

Maria Sharapova became the 17th female Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) of the open era today, thus securing her place as one of the greatest players in the modern history of tennis. She joins Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Evonne Goolagoing, Chris Evert, Hana Mandlikova, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Monica Seles, Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Martina Hingis, Lindsay Davenport, Venus Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams, Justine Henin, and Kim Clijsters at the highest career sanyaku (=championship) rank.

Sharapova gets promoted under the 5-career-grand-slam-titles rule rather than under the more standard 2-grand-slam-titles-in-sequence rule - the first lady to obtain Yokozuna rank this way (in the mens' game, John Newcombe and Stefan Edberg became Yokozuna under the 5-slam rule). Too great was arguably Dai-Yokozuna (=great grand champion) Serena Williams' dominance in recent years, and too often was Sharapova plagued by injury, to put back-to-back slam titles together. Promotion under the career rule tends to take longer, and hence it Sharapova required almost ten years since her Ozeki (=champion) promotion at Wimbledon in 2004 - where she won her first grand slam title - and 24(!) tournaments as Ozeki before the finally acceeded to Yokozuna. But there can be little doubt that this is where the Russian with the powerful baseline game and genuine star power belongs. Before this tournament, Sharapova had the by far strongest career statistics of any Ozeki, male or female, and stronger statistics than now-fellow Yokozuna Jennifer Capriati or Lindsay Davenport.

It sure took a hard fight. To win 2014 Roland Garros, Sharapova had to beat the future of ladies' tennis: 20 year old Garbine Muguruza in the quarterfinals, then another 20 year old in Eugenie Bouchard in the semis, and finally 22 year old Simona Halep (pictured on the right) in the final. Each match turned into a strenuous and exciting three-setter, with Sharapova getting stretched further in each round, until Halep demanded every ounce of the new Yokozuna's effort and concentration in a final that over wide stretches produced top class, delightful ladies' tennis.

Halep and Bouchard get promoted to Sekiwake (=Junior Champion I) for their efforts, together with strong showings at the preceding Australian Open. Few would be surprised to see both soon at Ozeki.

Former Komusubi (=Junior Champion II) Andrea Petkovic, just back from injury, made an impressive run to the semifinals and restores her old rank. She will be joined at that rank by quarterfinalist Carla Suarez Navarro in a first-time Komusubi promotion.

A less successful tournament had defending champion Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams - who got creamed in the second round by Muguruza - and Ozeki and Australian Open Champion Na Li, who went crashing out in the first round. Li goes kadoban - i.e., has to reach the quarterfinals at Wimbledon to defend Ozeki rank - as does long-time Ozeki Viktoria Azarenka, who missed the tournament injured. Agnieszka Radwanska, Dominika Cibulkova, and Flavia Penetta all lost early and get demoted from Sekiwake to Komusubi. The ladies' sanyaku ranks going into the 2014 Wimbledon Championship are therefore as follows:

Women

Career rank 1/	East	Current Rank	West	Career rank 1/
High Sanyaku (Senior Champion Ranks)
Dai-Y	Serena Williams	Y	Maria Sharapova	Y
O	Viktoria Azarenka*	O	Na Li*	O
Lower Sanyaku (Junior Champion Ranks)
S	Eugenie Bouchard	S	Simona Halep	S
S	Agnieszka Radwanska	K1	Flavia Pennetta	S
S	Dominika Cibulkova	K2	Andrea Petkovic	K
K	Carla Suarez Navarro	K3	-	-

1/ Highest sanyaku rank achieved in a player's career
* kadoban
Venus Williams is an 'inactive' Yokozuna