Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr.
Yusho Arasoi
11 Wins
05 Sekiwake #1 West Onosato
10 Wins
06 Sekiwake #2 East Kirishima
38 Maegashira #15 East Takayasu
9 Wins
22 Maegashira #7 East Wakatakakage
35 Maegashira #13 West Nishikigi
Notable Maneuvers
Henka. Abi didn't just sidestep, but straight out matadored Hoshoryu. And it worked like a charm for a rear force out.
Match of the Day
The on-paper Match of the Day lived up to the expectations. Onosato started out looking like he'd bowl over Wakatakakage, but the Arashio man held his feet at the tawara and went for a deep double grip. That moved Onosato back, but he turned the match around as he was moving and nearly threw Wakatakakage. Instead, Wakatakakage was placed at the opposite edge of where he just had to fight back. Despite having Onosato working on him, Wakatakakage held up at the tawara again. He sort of threw Onosato, not enough to win but spin the match around. That gave him the opening for a yorikiri to deliver Onosato's first loss.
Recap
Wakatakakage made the basho just a little more interesting by knocking down Onosato. Onosato still has the lead all to himself, and the situation hasn't really changed. He wins his last three matches, no one can catch him for the Yusho. But now his wiggle room is smaller. If he drops another one, he has a chance to have someone else tie him. Nothing about his Day Twelve performance says he can be easily beaten. It's more likely he learned how tough it can be to eventually beat Wakatakakage.
Onosato certainly won't face easy opponents. Despite their underwhelming bashos so far and disappointing Day Twelves, both Ozeki are tough matchups and left for Onosato to face. Kotozakura is the Nishonoseki star's opponent on Day Thirteen. He has a 3-1 career advantage over Onoasto. Hoshoryu may come next, and he has a 3-0 career record versus Onosato in actual fights through three shitatenages. The hardest part of Onosato's Aki is yet to come. At least he has faced and beaten 10-2 rikishi Kirishima already.
The same cannot be said for Takayasu, the other rikishi at 10 wins. He beat a very game Komusubi Hiradoumi on Day Twelve, as he earned an opponent further up the Banzuke. He very much looked like the former Ozeki and multi-time Jun-Yusho winner in the technical upset. This was more impressive since Daieisho had just overwhelmed Nishikigi to ruin his yusho chances. Daieisho will be Takayasu's opponent on Day Thirteen. If Takayasu gets that win as well, he is looming for Onosato. Takayasu has won their lone matchup from May.
None of this is to say that Onosato's Emperor's Cup is slipping away from him. He is absolutely still the favorite, especially because he has the best record. Onosato also seems, somehow, to be improving. He is using his wide base to enhance his incredible power and athleticism to create a defensive approach when he gets the kitchen sink treatment. He is now one of the targeted rikishi, and everyone will do everything they can against him. Largely in Aki, that has still resulted in easy Onosato wins.
Day Twelve say Wakatakakage have to result to many, many different approaches and bail himself out at the tawara on multiple occasions to be able to beat Onosato. Onosato's face after the match showed that he was as surprised as anyone that Wakatakakage could do that. He is still learning what other rikishi are capable of, and he does not seem to be showing he's vulnerable to standard sumo. Now he just needs to step up to the very best. He can still do it.
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