Kotozakura Hands Asanoyama a Third Straight Loss; Asanoyama Admits the False Start Rattled Him
Ozeki Kotozakura, 28 (Sadogatake), beat East Maegashira 1 Asanoyama, 32 (Takasago), by yorikiri on Day 4 for his third straight win and a 3-1 record, Nikkan Sports reports. Asanoyama, who beat ozeki Aonishiki on Day 1 and has faced a yokozuna or ozeki every day, has lost three in a row and is 1-3. They had not met in about two years: 'He's soft and has a deep reach, that was my image.' The first tachi-ai did not match. 'The ozeki put his hands down first, and I thought, huh? and got rattled. Maybe I hesitated,' he said. On the restart, 'I let the ozeki get the outer grip.'