[Magus978]

Let's get into day 11...hopefully with no accidental browser closures this time.

- Enho beat Nishikigi yesterday, and can make kachi-koshi today with a victory over 6-4 Sadanoumi. Great match, a few near finishes, but I think Sadanoumi got the win as Enho's hand may have hit the floor first. It's close, but we won't need a review. Both fighters go to 7-4, and can still make kachi-koshi tomorrow.

- Yago MUST have a win today against Kagayaki, otherwise you'd have to think his time in Makuuchi could be over. Kagayaki's lost two straight and he needs a win to re-establish his kachi-koshi ambitions. Again some good action, but the end comes with a Kagayaki counter, and it's just a matter of shoving Yago down. Yago falls to 3-8 and confirms a make-koshi, which may seal his fate back to Juryo with Kaisei.

- For Tochiozan, he too needs to win out to get to 8-7. He made a good start yesterday by beating already relegated Kaisei. Now he's gotta step it up against 4-6 Toyonoshima. Toyonoshima aggressive early, but maybe too aggressive as he loses his balance and Tochinozan has an easy task of letting him fall. That's two in a row for Tochiozan, and now Toyonoshima is precariously close to that 8th loss.

- Terutsuyoshi has his kachi-koshi at 8-2, and he'd like to add onto it and secure a bigger leap up the Maegashira ranks. Nishikigi must have a win to avoid make-koshi at 3-7. After a pair of false starts, Terutsuyoshi makes pretty quick work of Nishikigi with some aggressive shoving.

- Takagenji and Chiyomaru are both 4-6, hoping not to get dragged to the brink of that 8-loss make-koshi line. Chiyomaru knows what he wants to do from the start, focusing on an upper slap attack. Takagenji tries to grab the mawashi, but to no avail, and Chiyomaru gets him out. Takagenji has lost 6 straight.

- We're scheduled to have Onosho and already-doomed Kaisei next...but neither fighter's in the ring. I think Kaisei's finally realized he needs to give it up, and that is indeed the case. Supposedly a right arm injury. Onosho gets a free win, but probably no pay.

- Tomokaze has his 8 wins. Kotoyuki has 7 and would like to get number 8. Kotoyuki tries to slap his way to victory, but Tomokaze easily knocks him down for the win. Tomokaze goes to 9-2, while Kotoyuki will have to wait until tomorrow for another chance at kachi-koshi.

- Myogiryu wants to keep paces with Tomokaze. Okinoumi's lost 3 straight and desperately needs a win to get back on track. Some good back and forth before Okinoumi's lifting and shoving earn him a much-needed win.

- A battle of a pair of 6-4 competitors who have each won 4 straight. Someone's streak's gotta go in this fight between Kotoeko and Shimanoumi. Another good match. Kotoeko's got a good slap attack, and while Shimanoumi tried to fight back, Kotoeko was just too much. Great recovery for Kotoeko off a 2-4 start, he's won 5 in a row!

- Chiyotairyu (6-4) and Daishoho (4-6) are both coming off losses and are going in opposite directions. Big bounceback off the initial charge. Chiyotairyu comes forward, but he might have gone too low and faceplants! Daishoho wins without really having to lift a finger.

- If Takarafuji is going to maintain his Maegashira 5 rank, he's gonna have to win out. Beating 4-6 Shohozan is a must. Shohozan's lost 3 in a row. They jockey for position around the ring, but Takarafuji grabs the arm and takes Shohozan down! Both fighters go to 4-7.

- Daieisho has not faced a Maegashira rank fighter since Day 3...he must be delighted to see Shodai in front of him. Both are 5-5. Shodai pushes Daieisho back, but Daieisho counters with an Uwatenage and takes his opponent down!

- Hokutofuji has won 7 in a row since starting 0-3 and is on the brink of kachi-koshi. Asanoyama's been in decent form, winning 2 of his last 3, but he needs more than that to get back to .500 and eventually 8 wins. Hokutofuji doesn't get a good charge, and Asanoyama is able to use the mawashi and get his opponent out. So much for Hokutofuji's 7 match winning streak, but Asanoyama gets to 5-6.

- Ryuden must have a win to have any chance of staying at Komusubi. It starts with a fight against 5-5 Endo. Good battle here in the middle of the ring, with Ryuden holding his ground for awhile. However, Endo gets a grip on the mawashi and pushes Ryuden out. That's all she wrote for Ryuden at Komusubi.

- Abi has won 3 straight to get back even for the tournament, while Aoiyama broke a 5 match losing streak yesterday. Both riding a little momentum. Abi is relentless with his slaps, but he should have switched gears here because Aoiyama wasn't gonna be taken out by them. Eventually Abi got off balance and Aoiyama finished him.

- Tamawashi is already set for a huge drop in rank. Can he salvage some pride here against 6-4 Ichinojo, the Hakuho conqueror? The answer is no, he can't. Ichinojo is too cunning for Tamawashi's tactics, and he just slaps the soon to be former Sekiwake down.

- Meisei will be kicking himself for failing early in the tournament when he was fighting against fellow Maegashiras. Mitakeumi still has ambitions of a kachi-koshi and maintaining his Sekiwake rank. This is the most spirited I've seen Meisei all tournament, and he's giving Mitakeumi a great bout. However, for all the effort Meisei shows, he gets taken out with a Yorikiri. Meisei drops to 2-9 while Mitakeumi goes to 7-4.

- Hakuho and Takayasu are scheduled next...but once again we have a withdrawal. Takayasu battled through to get his 8th win yesterday, and has wisely dropped out. He won't be in any danger of demotion now. Takayasu suffered the injury on day 8 against Tamawashi, where it looked like Tamawashi may have inadvertantly bent the arm the wrong way and did something to that elbow. Nevertheless, Hakuho gets a free win, and Takayasu will not be kadoban because he stayed in to get win #8 yesterday, and that means it's...

- Main Event time! Kakuryu's been rolling all tournament long, although he has been tested a few times. Kotoshogiku must have a win to get over .500 and give himself a fighting chance at finishing with a winning record. Kotoshogiku looked good for awhile, but Kakuryu endured and was able to turn the tables! Eventually, Kakuryu wins with some slaps.

- A look at the leaderboard after day 11 shows us that it's as you were at the front. Kakuryu 11-0, Hakuho one back. Terutsuyoshi and Tomokaze at 9-2 still theoretically have a chance at this tournament, but it's a real longshot. Down at the bottom, we can add Yago, Ryuden, and Nishikigi to those who have made make-koshi. Ryuden and Nishikigi should see their rankings drop significantly, while Yago is probably falling out of Makuuchi altogether.

...and that's it! We've made it through the commentary without accidentally....CRAP, IT'S GONE!

...just kidding! See you tomorrow for Day 12 of the 2019 Nagoya Basho!