Sunday, January 30, 2022

The 2022 Australian Open: Promotions, Demotions and Other Stats

2022 Australian Open Champions:
  • Rafael Nadal (Dai-Yokozuna)
  • Ashleigh Barty (Ozeki)

New Career Sanyaku Rank:

Sanyaku Rank Changes
Player (career rank if different) To From
Promotions
Daniil Medvedev Ozeki Sekiwake
Matteo Berrettini Ozeki Sekiwake
Stefanos Tsitsipas Ozeki Sekiwake
Danielle Collins Sekiwake Maegashira
Denis Shapovalov Komusubi Maegashira
Madison Keys (ex-Ozeki) Komusubi Maegashira
Iga Swiatek (ex-Sekiwake) Komusubi Maegashira
Demotions
Karolina Pliskova (ex-Ozeki)Komusubi Sekiwake
Aryna SabalenkaKomusubi Sekiwake
Maria SakkariKomusubi Sekiwake
Emma RaducanuKomusubi Sekiwake
Leylah FernandezKomusubi Sekiwake

Kinboshi:
("gold star" - prize awarded to a non-sanyaku ranked competitor for beating an active Yokozuna):
  • Amanda Anisimova (ex-Komusubi) - for beating Yokozuna Naomi Osaka in Round 3

Other noteworthy developments:
  • Dai-Yokozuna (Great Grand Champion) Rafael Nadal won his 21st grand slam title and therefore the most slams of any male tennis player in the open era.
  • In terms of the pure stats, however, Nadal remains #3 in the open area top 20 ranking - behind Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, who both have 20 titles but participated in many more grand slam finals and semifinals. This said, Sanyaku Tennis does not really participate in the so-called GOAT debate. To us, every player who reached Dai-Yokozuna status represents the pinnacle of the sport, with unique achievements each in his or her own way. Splitting hair at this level is silly: you don't compare royalty.
  • Finalist Daniil Medvedev got promoted to Ozeki (=Champion), but he missed out by a whisker on back-to-back grand slam titles and hence on an immediate Yokozuna (=Grand Champion) promotion - he would have been the 19th male Yokzouna of the open era. Medvedev looks every bit like a future Yokozuna, but one never knows. Semifinalist Matteo Berrettini also got promoted to Ozeki, while the other semi-finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas earned a re-repromotion to the same rank.
  • The "next gen" fills four Ozeki slots now and has truly arrived in the sanyaku rankings (the fourth Ozeki Alexander Zverev, who lost early and goes kadoban - i.e. needs a quarterfinal to the French open to defend rank). This said, noone has made it to Yokozuna yet - this is still reserved to the old masters, Nadal and Djokovic (the third master, Federer, is an inactive Yokozuna at present).
  • In the ladies's game, Ashleigh Barty won her third grand slam title and confimed Ozeki rank. She is now the top tier in ladies' tennis, as both Yokozuna - Dai-Yokozuna Serena Williams and Naomi Osaka - failed to make the semifinals in four consecutive grand slam tournaments (Williams did not participate this time, Osaka lost in round 3). Hence both are listed as inactive Yokozuna now, leaving ladies' tennis without an active Grand Champion. By contrast, the lower Sanyaku ranks (Sekiwake and Komusubi) are filled with no less than 9 female players who had success at the last three grand slam tournaments, among them Australian Open finalist Danielle Collins.

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