SPORTS SHORTS | Sumo: Title Up for Grabs at the New Year Basho

With five days remaining in the 15-day New Year Grand Sumo Tournament, five wrestlers are tied for the lead in the makuuchi (top) division.

At Tokyo's Ryogoku Kokugikan, fourth-ranked maegashira Atamifuji upset yokozuna Onosato in the final bout on Tuesday, January 20.

With the win, Atamifuji improved to 8-2 and Onosato, who has lost three consecutive matches, slipped to 6-4. Joining Atamifuji at the top of the leaderboard are No 2 maegashira Abi, 14th-ranked Ukrainian Shishi, sekiwake Kirishima and Ukrainian ozeki Aonishiki.

In the day's penultimate match, Mongolian Hoshoryu (7-3), the other yokozuna (grand champion), rebounded from back-to-back losses, including to Atamifuji on Monday. Hoshoryu deployed a pulling overarm throw to beat komusubi Oho (4-6).

On Monday, Kirishima emerged as the sole leader with a victory over second-ranked maegashira Ura. A day later, ozeki Kotozakura (7-3) overpowered Kirishima, handing him his second loss.

Day 11 Sumo Matchups

Among the key bouts on the 11th day are the following: No 3 maegashira Hakunofuji (5-5) vs Aonishiki, No 7 maegashira Fujinokawa (7-3) vs Atamifuji, Shishi vs Abi, No 6 maegashira Hiradoumi (7-3) vs 16th-ranked maegashira Asanoyama (7-3), Kirishima vs Onosato and Hoshoryu vs sekiwake Takayasu (7-3).

RELATED:

• SPORTS SHORTS | Sumo: Yoshinofuji Raises His Profile with Pair of Wins Against Yokozuna
• ODDS and EVENS | Asanoyama Faces a Critical Test at the New Year Basho

Golf

Matsuyama Ties for 13th in 2026 Debut

Hideki Matsuyama shot a 9-under 271 and finished in a six-way tie for 13th place at the Sony Open on Sunday, January 18, in Honolulu.

The PGA Tour veteran carded a 5-under 70 in the third round, his best effort of the tourney, at Waialae Country Club. In the opening round, Matsuyama shot a 69, followed by a 70 in the second round. He closed out the Sony Open, the PGA's first tournament of 2026, with a 67.

Chris Gotterup of the United States claimed victory with a 16-under 264. Fellow American Ryan Gerard was the runner-up (14-under 266).

In the fourth round, Matsuyama had three consecutive birdies through the fifth hole. He completed the front nine at 2-under 33 and had two more birdies over the final nine holes, on the par-3 17 and par-5 18.

"I thought if I could stretch it out by about three more, the leaders would start feeling uncomfortable," Matsuyama said of his string of birdies on the front nine, according to Daily Sports.

Then, on the sixth hole, he had his first of two bogeys on Sunday. And on the par-4 13th hole, Matsuyama's birdie missed its target and had to settle for a bogey.

"Things just weren't going well," he was quoted as saying by Daily Sports.

Up next: The PGA's The American Express tournament (January 22-25) in La Quinta, California. 

Snowboarding

Murase Claims 1st Victory of World Cup Season

Kokomo Murase triumphed in the women's slopestyle competition in an FIS Snowboard World Cup meet in Laax, Switzerland, on Sunday, January 18.

The 21-year-old received 75.70 points for her first run in the final round. Despite strong winds, she was even better on her second run, earning 77.55 points. Lily Dhawornvej of the United States was the runner-up (71.88), and Austria's Anna Gasser placed third (69.70).

For Murase, the bronze medalist in women's big air at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, it was her first World Cup win of the 2025-26 season. 

"To be able to win this title in the toughest weather conditions of the season really gives me confidence," Murase said, according to The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Soccer

Mitoma Makes 100th Premier League Appearance

Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma has become the third Japanese player to appear in 100 English Premier League matches.

Mitoma was in the starting lineup in Brighton's 1-1 draw with visiting Bournemouth on Monday, January 19.

Before he reached the century mark in EPL appearances, Maya Yoshida (154 with Southampton from 2012-20) and Shinji Okazaki (115 with Leicester City from 2015-19) accomplished the feat.

Sports reporter Derren Howard of Britain's Sussex Express newspaper reflected on the accomplishment in the run-up to the Brighton-Bournemouth match. 

"It's a great achievement for the player and it's difficult to under-estimate the impact he has made since his arrival," Howard wrote. 

In August 2022, Mitoma made his Brighton debut.

"On the pitch, he has been a major player, a unique attacking talent capable of winning matches with moments of brilliance," wrote Howard. "He has also proved a valuable commercial asset as he's significantly boosted the club's profile in the Asian market."

Tennis

Osaka Advances to Australian Open 2nd Round 

Naomi Osaka, the women's No 16 seed, finished strong to hold off Croatia's Antonia Ruzic in an Australian Open first-round match on Tuesday, January 20.

Osaka advanced to the second round with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-4 victory.

On Ruzic's 23rd birthday, the world No 65 held a 4-3 lead in the decisive third set. After that, Osaka picked it up a notch to close out the match on a high note, winning 12 of the last 15 points.

"She's an amazing player, I'd never played her before and I hope to not see her on the other side of the net!" Osaka said with a laugh, according to the WTA Tour website. "But if I do, I'm pretty sure we're going to keep playing some amazing matches."

In the second round, Osaka, the 2019 and 2021 women's singles champion at the Australian Open, will play Romania's Sorana Cirstea, who defeated Germany's Eva Lys 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the opening round. 

Author: Ed Odeven

Follow Ed's [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and he can be found on X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.