Ozeki Takayasu claimed victory in a must-win match that kept his hopes alive for his first title on Saturday in Fukuoka, sending the race for the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament to the final day.
In a showdown between the two front-runners of the tournament, Takayasu beat overnight leader komusubi Takakeisho to improve to 12-2 on Day 14 action and tie Takakeisho's record.
Takayasu will face sekiwake Mitakeumi, while Takakeisho will take on No. 3 maegashira Nishikigi on the final day of 2018 action. If they both win or both lose their bouts, they will enter a playoff match, as no other wrestler has a chance of winning the tournament.
Takakeisho entered the day with a chance to clinch the Emperor's Cup with a day to spare if he had won the match -- and he was close. The young komusubi aggressively pushed forward after the jump-off, sending the ozeki toward the edge of the ring.
Takakeisho then used the momentum from pushing to turn Takayasu to the side. But as the komusubi tried to rush forward, the ozeki evaded his push by spinning around, and the komusubi fell to the ground after he lost his balance, landing on his stomach.
Meanwhile, ozeki Tochinoshin forced out Mitakeumi to notch an important kachikoshi eighth win. Mitakeumi, the winner of July's Nagoya tournament, dropped to 6-8, and is stuck with a losing record in Fukuoka.
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