Hakuhou gave him the famous elbow at the tachiai as well, but Kisenosato was unfazed. A couple of violent harites that connected-still unfazed. If Kisenosato was this focused in his early bouts, we'd be speaking in a different tongue now.
I have to agree Kise was in the zone, maybe he wasn't feeling the pressure anymore, also i think Hak's tachi-ai fore-arm/elbow landed mostly on his chest by luck, or perhaps Kise intentionally avoided it, regardless that bout goes down for me as one of the most exciting i ever watched.
Any match where Hakuho loses or survives is exciting IMHO. He's consistently made his opponent work for every possible advantage.