NAGOYA - Ukrainian sekiwake Aonishiki maintained his share of the lead Monday at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament with his first career victory over yokozuna Onosato in five attempts.
Both yokozuna were on the losing side of the ledger, with Mongolian-born grand champion Hoshoryu falling to talented young komusubi Yoshinofuji in one of the other highlight bouts on Day 9 at IG Arena.
The day's penultimate battle featured two stars hampered by injury -- Onosato (5-4) with a left shoulder issue and former ozeki Aonishiki (8-1) with foot and ankle problems that sparked his demotion to sekiwake following the May tournament.
Needing 10 wins for automatic repromotion to the second-highest rank, the European dynamo appeared to encounter further foot trouble in his closely fought win over No. 1 maegashira Takanosho (3-6) the previous day.
But he was virtually gifted his eighth win of the 15-day tournament by the bigger, stronger Onosato, who bulldozed to the brink of victory before losing his balance and stumbling over the edge first.
Aonishiki finished the day in a three-way tie for the lead at 8-1 with No. 7 maegashira Kotoeiho and 14th-ranked Ukrainian compatriot Shishi after ozeki Kirishima (7-2) dropped from the top rung with an upset loss to No. 2 maegashira Churanoumi (3-6).
Yoshinofuji (5-4) demonstrated his impressive power and technique by winning a grappling battle against Hoshoryu (6-3) by force out.
"I attacked from a low position, and it worked," Yoshinofuji said. "I got a deep, double-inside grip, and from there I moved forward."
Demotion-threatened "kadoban" ozeki Kotozakura dropped to 4-5 with his loss by overarm throw to No. 3 maegashira Hakunofuji (7-2), leaving the one-time Emperor's Cup winner with a thin margin of error to reach eight victories and avoid falling to sekiwake.
