Ozeki Chiyotaikai breezed to his 10th victory against rank-and-filer Kaiho on Thursday to keep one win ahead of the pack with just three days left at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament.
Newly promoted yokozuna Asashoryu stayed hot on the ozeki's heels however, after rolling over sekiwake Wakanosato in a matter of seconds at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.
Chiyotaikai leads at 10-2, one ahead of the Mongolian and former ozeki Miyabiyama.
Bidding to capture a third Emperor's Cup, Chiyotaikai wasted little time in brushing aside the challenge of Kaiho (5-7).