Public League Leaderboard
Scores from Fantasizr.
Notable Maneuvers
Fusen. Abi gets the free win over Takayasu, who is missing with an injury picked up on Day One. But stop me if you've heard this one, he could possibly be back in a few days.
Match of the Day
This match began with Onosato looking like he was back on his yusho form from May. After getting pushed back to the edge, Wakamotoharu turned the tables. Then the Arashio-beya man got Onosato moving sideways. Instead of a dance on the tawara, Onosato slid around and could only try to stay up long enough to hope Wakamotoharu's momentum took him out. He didn't manage it, even though the judges needed a monoii to sort it out.
Recap
The Ozeki got back on their sumo on Day Two, but Terunofuji kept the pace ahead of them with his second win. We should not be applauding a Yokozuna beating a Komusubi by normal sumo conditions, but that's not where the sport is at the moment. To Meisei's credit, he also took the match right to Terunofuji. It didn't matter, because Terunofuji's strength just shoved him back. The Yokozuna looks good after two days, something that hasn't been true for awhile.
That certainly doesn't mean he is going to race to a zensho yusho. First of all, his body should always be considered a ticking time bomb. He easily could get injured enough to leave the basho. Terunofuji also will need to be in very good form. There are many reasons to doubt the current Ozeki, but they also all can be extremely tough. On Day Two, all of them showed their strengths.
Kotozakura received everything Atamifuji could give him. In particular, he seems to be attempting stablemate Terunofuji's grab-the-arms-and-overpower move. Kotozakura broke it and turned the match around for a yorikiri. Takakeisho showed off his ring sense, slapping down Daieisho when the Oitekaze man went too far forward. Even if he isn't as strong as he used to be due to injuries, few have a better sense of what they can do. And then there was Hoshoryu.
Hoshoryu lost to Atamifuji on Day One when he just couldn't execute. Atamifuji never had a convincing moment, and Hoshoryu just couldn't throw him back despite trying numerous times. Eventually he wore out. Day Two was a perfect contrast. Hoshoryu took it straight to Hiradoumi, which sent the Sanyaku debutant backwards. At the edge, Hiradoumi tried to reload. All that allowed was for Hoshoryu to issue a hard shove for the win. That version of Hoshoryu shows up and he should be able to beat anybody.
The contrast between the best version and the okay version of a rikishi could be the story of this basho. Maybe even the next few. Kotozakura needs to win more tachiais to produce shorter wins. Takakeisho needs to remain healthy and strong. Abi needs to keep at opponents' chests. Onosato needs to figure out what it takes to consistently beat the top men. There are small questions about everyone near the top. Yet they also are all capable of winning the whole thing.
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