Inspiring Asian resilience

We didn’t make it to the finals of the Fiba Asia Champions Cup but not without a fight against Mahram of Iran.
In a game where both sides decided to drive and pound it inside, Smart Gilas Pilipinas lost out on several Iranian forays to the basket. It was clear that the two-time defending champions wanted to use height and heft on almost every attack to the basket.
The Iranians tried to ignore Marcus Douthit and concentrated on imposing their will inside by driving hard even before the Filipinos could set up defense.
But the end game showed that the young national squad had an ample supply of heart even if the result was seemingly out of reach.
With less than a minute to go and the Iranians up by seven, Smart Gilas skipper Chris Tiu decided to go for a layup instead of forcing the issue from the outside.  Then, he connived with Jayvee Casio to steal the ball and then set up Tiu for a trey that hit the mark.
The Iranians sealed the game with clutch free throws but not without going through an endgame scare.
Tiu and Casio displayed clutch play that was reminiscent of their heroics when they played for their respective colleges.  Tiu nailed several game winners for the Ateneo Blue Eagles while Casio had the guts to turn around games that seemed lost for the La Salle Green Archers.
Smart Gilas is a national team we can be proud of. They may not always beat the best of the world but they will always try their utmost to represent us.
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There was no Filipino in the French Open but Chinese tennis star Li Na seemed to represent all of us in Asia as she won the ladies singles crown over defending champion Francesca Schiavone.
With nimble footwork and wicked forehand winners that zoomed to unreachable spots, Li outworked Schiavone, 6-4, 7-6, for her first Grand Slam crown—the first for an Asian player.
Li uncorked 31 winners against only 12 by Schiavone. The Italian was out of position most of the time, swung to one side by Li’s accurate baseline shots that were difficult to anticipate which direction they would go.
Li’s strength was her resilience, her ability to play every point solidly even if she was behind 0-40, or two games down in a set. In the semifinals against Maria Sharapova, Li bucked the gusty winds that bothered almost every serve. She had uncanny focus that allowed her to stay true to her game that featured patience from the baseline.
Li’s victory will undoubtedly entice many Chinese tennis players to pursue the game more assiduously. China is already a world power in many sports like gymnastics, swimming, table tennis and badminton. Now watch out world: Here come more Chinese players to turn around tennis and make China an even stronger sports nation.
This might be wishful dreaming but let’s hope that one day we will see a Filipino playing in the Grand Slam tournaments of the world. If Li can inspire all of us in Asia, can you imagine what a Filipino world-class tennis player can do as well?