Ozeki Kisenosato's second bid at yokozuna promotion crash landed before it even got off the runway after a lopsided defeat on the opening day of the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament on Sunday.
Kisenosato, who beat both yokozuna and finished with an impressive 13-2 mark in November, once again showed his all-too-familiar tendency to crumble under pressure as he was dumped by his diminutive opponent in the day's penultimate match.
Yokozuna Hakuho, made mincemeat of Tochiozan in the day's finale in front of a sellout crowd at Ryogoku Kokugikan.