Terunofuji, sumo's lone yokozuna, maintained his career dominance over rank-and-file opponent Wakatakakage on Monday at the New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, but things did not go so smoothly for ozeki Takakeisho, who suffered an upset loss against komusubi Meisei.
Terunofuji, who is bidding for his third consecutive championship, improved to 8-1 head-to-head against No. 1 maegashira Wakatakakage, with the only loss coming from an injury withdrawal in September 2020.
The Mongolian-born yokozuna nevertheless had to work for the win on Day 2, digging deep once again following his hard-fought opening-day victory over komusubi Daieisho.