I’ll update this with a more full run down when I get a chance but no upsets among the ozeki today. That said, Ikioi came very close to executing a successful throw against Kotoshogiku but couldn’t quite pull it off. As penance, he had to have the entire weight of Kotoshogiku fall on top of him. Ouch. The fact is, he should have had it. Kotoshogiku was able to use his leg strength to get the Maegashira to the straw bales but Ikioi was able to stop his momentum once there.

Terunofuji blasted Myogiryu through the ring and nearly off the dohyo. I was afraid Myogiryu’s knee buckled at the edge but I think he dropped down to prevent himself from falling off the edge. I’ll need to see replays of that later. He popped back up quickly and showed no signs of injury. Kisenosato was too much for Sadanoumi. Sadanoumi just seems out-matched against this level of competition this tournament. Goeido pulled off a thrilling double spin to defeat Aoiyama. In a great match, Aoiyama got Goeido spun around but Goeido spun again and the Bulgarian lost his balance and fell, boobs first, into the clay.

I was looking forward to Hakuho v Tochinoshin but that matchup fell flat. Sensing Tochinoshin over-committing, Hakuho helped him flop into the dirt for the hatakikomi win. Kakuryu was also pretty dominant against Takayasu, picking up his third win and closing out the first day of the tournament without any top upsets.

Lower ranked updates below…

Tochiozan has abbreviated his tachiai ritual and it seems to be paying dividends. He corralled a powerful Takarafuji very quickly. Ichinojo likes long bouts. He wore down Kaisei in a good, long standoff. Aminishiki picked up his first win with a good, quick throw against Takekaze.

Toyonoshima lost to Kyokushuho and it looked like it hurt. Oosunaarashi bulled through Homarefuji but paid the price as he landed on that injured left shoulder. After this one, I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s kyujo. Amuru stayed on the attack against Kitataiki and eventually prevailed as Kitataiki really dug in at the edge. Kyokutenho lost a good, tight bout to Tokitenku to fall to 0-3.

I’ve been talking a lot about preventing injury. In this vein, I was very happy to see the Chiyoootori’s battle against Seiro. His knee seemed strong, though still taped. Great yorikiri win and I like the way he held Seiro up and the edge. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Chiyotairyu blew up Endo. He followed up a fierce tachiai with a blistering attack, sending Endo four rows deep into the crowd.