Yokozuna Terunofuji suffered his second defeat of the Summer Grand Sumo Tournament on Friday as Bulgarian No. 11 maegashira Aoiyama took the sole lead with a 6-0 record.
Mongolian-born Terunofuji (4-2) lost to veteran Mongolian No. 3 Tamawashi (5-1) for the third straight time. The yokozuna pulled out of March's spring meet due to injuries and is looking far from his best with recurring knee issues.
Terunofuji showed none of his usual tenacity in a surprisingly one-sided bout, and ushered over the straw bales in a matter of seconds at Ryogoku Kokugikan as his title chase suffered a damaging setback.