Taiwan to Beijing: Grow up over Trump ceremony row

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

TAIPEI — China should not be so “narrow-minded,” Taiwan said Thursday, after Beijing pressed Washington to block the island from attending Donald Trump’s inauguration.

A former premier will lead Taipei’s delegation as foreign dignitaries from around the world descend on the US capital for the president-elect’s swearing in.

But Beijing has asked the US to bar the self-ruling island it sees as a renegade province and part of “one China” to be reunified.

“We urge again the American side not to allow any Taiwanese official delegation to attend the US presidential inauguration ceremony and to have any kind of official contact with Taiwan,” said Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, at a regular press briefing Thursday.

Former premier Yu Shyi-kun, who is leading Taiwan’s delegation hit back.

“Don’t be so small,” Mr. Yu, who belongs to the ruling Beijing-sceptic Democratic Progressive Party, was quoted as saying by Taiwan’s state Central News Agency.

“There hasn’t been any leader with such a narrow mind in all Chinese dynasties,” added Mr. Yu, referring to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Since Mr. Trump was elected in November, there have been a series of diplomatic upsets, with China incensed by a protocol-smashing phone call between the billionaire and Taiwan’s leader Tsai Ing-wen.

It was further angered by Mr. Trump’s suggestion that the “one China” policy could be negotiable and demanded Washington ban Taipei from the inauguration.

A Taiwanese delegation has attended in previous years, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties, but never includes the island’s president.

Washington remains Taiwan’s most powerful ally and arms supplier even though it switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979.

Taiwan’s delegation also includes some legislators including pro-independence rocker-turned-politician Freddy Lim of the New Power Party, which is calling for Taiwan to be recognized internationally as a country.

Ties with China have turned increasingly frosty since Ms. Tsai took office last year, with Beijing cutting off official communication with her government.

Beijing has recently stepped up military drills — its only aircraft carrier sailed through the Taiwan Strait last week, and military aircraft passed near Taiwan twice late last year in what was seen as a show of strength. — AFP

Avalanche hits Italian mountain hotel; ‘many’ buried in snow

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

ROME — Up to 30 people were feared to have died Thursday after an Italian mountain hotel was engulfed by a powerful avalanche in the earthquake-ravaged center of the country.

Firefighters arrive near Hotel Rigopiano, hit by an avalanche, in Farindola, central Italy, in this January 19, 2017 handout picture provided by Italy’s firefighters. Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

Italy’s Civil Protection agency confirmed the Hotel Rigopiano had been engulfed by a two-meter (six-feet) high wall of snow and that emergency services were struggling to get ambulances and diggers to the site.

The agency said there had been around 30 guests and staff at the small ski hotel on the eastern lower slopes of the Gran Sasso mountain when the first of four powerful tremors rattled the region on Wednesday morning.

Local media said specialist mountain police who had reached the hotel on skis or by helicopter had begun extracting bodies.

They were quoted as saying there were no signs of life inside the building, which was moved by some 10 meters by the force of the snow.

“There are many dead,” one of the commanding officers, Antonio Crocetta, was quoted as saying.

The rescuers at the hotel were reported to have a snow mobile capable of transporting up to eight people.

Ambulances were blocked by two meters of snow some nine kilometers (5.5 miles) away, according to the civil protection agency.

Antonio Di Marco, president of the province of Pescara, which includes the mountain village of Farindola, close to where the hotel is located, said two people had been found alive.

“We don’t know yet how many people are unaccounted for or dead,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

“What is certain is that the building took a direct hit from the avalanche, to the point that it was moved by 10 meters.”

Farindola Mayor Ilario Lacchetta said on his Facebook page that “the dimensions of the avalanche were huge.

“It took the whole hotel with it.” he said.

HYPOTHERMIA
It was not clear if the two confirmed survivors had been at the hotel or had been out skiing when the avalanche occurred.

One of them was helicoptered to a hospital in Pescara suffering from hypothermia but was not in a life-threatening condition.

The region was hit by four seismic shocks measuring above five magnitude in the space of four hours on Wednesday, when at least one person was confirmed to have died.

The hotel is located around 90 kilometers (55 miles) from the epicenter of the quakes at Montereale, a small village south of Amatrice, the town devasted in an August earthquake in which nearly 300 people died.

Avalanche warnings were issued across the region which is dominated by Gran Sasso, a majestic 2,912 meters (9,554 feet) peak. The area has numerous small ski resorts popular with day-trippers from Rome and urban centers on Italy’s east coast.

One person was confirmed dead Wednesday after a body was found under the debris of a building in Castel Castagna, a small town to the north of Farindola.

The quake affected an area that straddles the regions of Lazio, Marche and Abruzzo which is home to many remote mountain hamlets.

Although many residents had been evacuated after last year’s quakes, there were fears for families who had decided to stay in their homes and are now cut off.

Some 130,000 homes were without electricity overnight as a result of quake-damage to pylons and other infrastructure. — AFP

Firefighters arrive near Hotel Rigopiano, hit by an avalanche, in Farindola, central Italy, in this Jan. 19 handout picture provided by Italy’s firefighters. — Vigili del Fuoco/Handout via Reuters

Optimist Embiid

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

When Sixers rookie Joel Embiid publicly said he looked forward to guiding the Sixers to the 2017 National Basketball Association Playoffs, not a few quarters thought him overly ambitious. After all, the red, white, and blue had just notched their 10th victory of the season; they were still eight games away from eighth place in the so-called Leastern Conference eight days into the new year, and he looked like he had an oversupply of optimism carried over from the Holiday season.

Fast forward two weeks, and Embiid has slowly — and, perhaps, surely — looked less an out of touch with reality and more in tune with justifiable optimism. Since trouncing the Nuggets in last year’s last outing, the Sixers have gone a heady six and two, with the third overall pick of the 2014 draft leading the way; notwithstanding the restrictions placed on his exposure, his usage rate and productivity, especially in the crunch, rank among the best in the league. Clearly, the poster child of former general manager Sam Hinkie’s much maligned “process” has progressed quite nicely from two surgeries on his right foot.

Significantly, the Sixers’ climb to respectability hasn’t simply been an offshoot of a favorable schedule. In fact, a valid argument can be made that they’ve become competitive regardless of the perceived quality of the opposition. In their last two starts, for instance, they managed to trounce the highly touted Bucks and Raptors. And of their two setbacks since the turn of the year, only their visit to the Verizon Center, coming on the second night of a back-to-back slate and sans Embiid (who notched a DNP-Rest), could be deemed a blowout.

At this point, it would be premature to declare the Sixers free from the bottom of the barrel. For all the strides they’ve made, they remain six games out of provisional postseason play. But, hey, they now have a better record than the Nets, Heat, and Suns. What’s more, speculation is rife that 2016 top pick Ben Simmons will be making his debut late this month, confirming head coach Brett Brown’s preseason timetable. In other words, hope is finally being backstopped by substance. And who knows? Embiid may yet be proven clairvoyant when all is said and done.

* * *

Parting Shot: Embiid was a positive 20 in the plus-minus column against the vaunted Raptors yesterday, pushing his total to positive 68 in 28 matches for the season. It’s no mean feat given the Sixers’ standing. Meanwhile, every other player on the roster is in the negative on aggregate.

Anthony L. Cuaycong has been writing Courtside since BusinessWorld introduced a Sports section in 1994. He is the Senior Vice-President and General Manager of Basic Energy Corp.

Atlanta’s Ryan, Oakland’s Mack take top awards

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

NEW YORK — Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, who directed the NFL’s highest-scoring attack, and Oakland defensive end Khalil Mack took top awards in media voting announced Wednesday.

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 14: Matt Ryan #2 of the Atlanta Falcons runs the ball against the Seattle Seahawks at the Georgia Dome on January 14, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images/AFP
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Ryan, who led the Falcons with club records in passing yards and touchdowns, was chosen the 2016 NFL Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year.

When the Falcons host Green Bay in a playoff showdown Sunday, Ryan will try to lift Atlanta into the Super Bowl for only the second time, the Falcons having lost to Denver in the 1999 edition of the NFL championship spectacle.

Mack, who matched an NFL record with quarterback sacks in eight consecutive games, took Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Professional Football Writers of America.

Ryan, in his ninth NFL season, completed 373 of 534 passes (a club record 69.9% of his throws) for 4,944 yards and 38 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.

The Falcons produced a one-season club record 540 points in this campaign and went 11-5 to claim a first-round playoff bye.

Ryan, who set an NFL record by completing touchdown passes to 13 different receivers this season, threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns in a 36-20 victory over Seattle last weekend.

Mack, in his third NFL campaign, had 77 tackles and 11 sacks this season for the Raiders. He also intercepted a pass, deflected four other throws, forced five fumbles and recovered three fumbles.

In a 35-32 home victory over Carolina, Mack became the first NFL player since 2009 with an interception, sack, forced fumble, fumble recovery and touchdown in a single game.

The Raiders lost 27-14 at Houston in the opening round of the playoffs. — AFP

Matt Ryan — AFP

Neymar Jr.’s football tournament finally makes its way to Manila

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

NEYMAR Jr.’s Five is the Brazilian forward’s signature football tournament — and a truly global phenomenon. Across six continents and more than 50 countries, five-a-side teams battle it out in 10-minute matches with a twist. Every time one team scores, the opposition loses a player, which makes it fast, technical, tactical — and unique in the world of football. More than 65,000 players from 47 countries signed up to play in the first year of Neymar Jr.’s Five and 2017 promises to be even bigger.

This year’s tournament is open to teams of five to seven players aged 16 to 25, and for the first time two over-aged players are allowed in the squad. Competing teams will need to have their Philippine passports on stand-by when registering. The teams will set out with the hope of making it to the World Final in 2017, at the Instituto Projeto Neymar Jr. in Praia Grande, Brazil.

Qualifying rounds will happen on two back-to-back Saturdays; February 18th and 25th, with the finals taking place on the 4th of March — all to be held at SPARTA Philippines in Mandaluyong City.

AMA finds fitting platform in PBA D-League

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

LOOKING to further promote its brand and showcase the kind of institution it is, AMA Education System (AMAES) has made a conscious effort to try out various activities and explore partnerships, including joining the Philippine Basketball Association Developmental League (PBA D-League), which officials said has been an “effective” venture for them.

Now on its third year of membership in the PBA’s official minor league organization, AMA said it has been worth their while joining the D-League on various levels.

“AMA really wanted to play in big leagues like the National Collegiate Athletic Association and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) but it was really hard for us to enter those leagues as they are pretty much set up. So we looked for other opportunities where we can join and compete. And we saw that in the PBA D-League,” said Arnel F. Hibo, SVP and COO at AMA Education System, in an interview with BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the AMA Online Education Titans’ PBA D-League pre-tournament press conference early this week.

“We were part of the Philippine Basketball League for a while but it is no longer around and we just came back and now we are in the D-League. Our motivation was not only to highlight education but venture into other things that our students can relate to and basketball is one of them,” the AMA official added.

And so far their expectations upon joining the league in 2014 have been met, by and large, Mr. Hibo said.

“Our D-League participation has become a rallying point for our community. At the start we just wanted to be there and just a few students came to watch. But in our second season more students started to come and watch and were very excited. This year, our third, we expect fan interest and support to increase some more,” Mr. Hibo said.

“The venture also helped in breaking the stereotype of AMA just being a computer school. Through our participation in the D-League and the coverage that goes with it, I believe more people have become aware of the different things we offer as an institution,” he added.

RECOMMEND TO OTHERS
Seeing how it has worked for them, Mr. Hibo said that they at AMA would recommend other companies or schools to join the D-League to promote their brand if they so choose.

“Yes, definitely, this is something we recommend to others. Three years ago I think there were only us and Centro Escolar University with Cafe France which are school-based teams playing in the league. Now there are five with Manuel L. Quezon University (with Victoria Sports), San Beda College (with Cignal HD) and Jose Rizal University. It shows that other schools have taken notice and these schools partnering with companies for such can work. Schools and companies can work together,” he said.

Mr. Hibo was quick to say, however, that proper planning is important to make things work in joining the D-League.

“It helps if school officials are sports-minded like in our case and they truly support the venture to join the D-League. But also on our part it is strategic. We chose to carry the AMA Online brand of our group because it caters to a wide range of people from high school to young professionals who are very active. So we chose it and the D-League because they are relatable to our target demographic,” he said.

Mr. Hibo went on to say that they have plans to go even higher to play in the PBA itself as well as build their own volleyball team that will play in commercial leagues in the future.

“We have already submitted a letter of intent to the PBA board to join as an expansion team. Everything is already with the board and I think we are one of a number of interested applicants to join the PBA. We are just waiting word from the PBA and we hope to be part of it in the next two to three years. We have been active in the D-League and I hope they see that in making their decision,” he said.

“Volleyball is also in the plans down the line as our student ratio is pretty much 50-50, male and female, and so we want our female students to have something of their own as well. Right now we are playing in the National Athletic Association of Schools and Universities but maybe we can join commercial leagues like the V-League and Philippine SuperLiga in the future,” Mr. Hibo added.

But for now, immediate for AMA is to be competitive in the PBA D-League, whose Aspirants’ Cup started yesterday with the Titans opening their campaign against newbie team Province of Batangas.

They are now being bannered by former UAAP star Jeron Teng of La Salle who hopes to lead his team of AMA students and veteran D-League campaigners to greater heights after failing to advance beyond the second round in its first two years in the league. — Michael Angelo S. Murillo

The AMA Online Education Titans and school officials during their PBA D-League pre-tournament press conference early this week. — Alvin S. Go

Unbeatens Thurman, Garcia book unification bout

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

NEW YORK — Undefeated Americans Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia, rival champions in a welterweight division where Manny Pacquiao and Kell Brook also claim supremacy, announced a unification fight Wednesday for their crowns.

Thurman, 27-0 with 22 knockouts, will defend his World Boxing Association crown for the third time while Garcia, 33-0 with 19 knockouts, makes his first World Boxing Council title defense.

“I will unify the titles,” Thurman said. “I am the true welterweight champion.”

The 28-year-old US fighters will meet March 4 at the Barclays Center in New York with the winner a potential future unification foe for either 38-year-old Filipino icon Pacquiao, the World Boxing Organization king in the weight class, or Britain’s 30-year-old Brook, the International Boxing Federation champion.

After two years as an interim champion, Thurman beat US southpaw Robert Guerrero in 2015 for the crown, then kept the throne by stopping US southpaw Luis Collazo and taking a unanimous decision last June over compatriot Shawn Porter.

“I am the champ and I always will be,” Thurman said. “Danny Garcia is a fighter who I’ve asked for and who I have respect for. But he’s going to learn, just as my past opponents have, that my power and speed will rise above any swiftness he has.”

Garcia, whose nickname is “Swift,” was a super lightweight champion for three years and beat Guerrero for the vacant WBC title by unanimous decision last January. At Barclays Center, Garcia is 5-0.

“Barclays Center and Brooklyn are my home away from home,’ Garcia said. “It’s going to be another Danny Garcia show. To me, Keith Thurman is nothing but a name. I’m going to show the world once again that I am a true champion.”

Pacquiao, 59-6 with two drawn and 38 knockouts, beat Jessie Vargas by unanimous decision two months ago in Las Vegas for the WBO crown. The Asian star is set to defend the title in April against Australian Jeff Horn (16-0 with one draw and 11 knockouts).

Brook, 36-1 with 25 knockouts, took his crown by majority decision over Porter in 2014 and defended three times before jumping up to middleweight and being stopped last September by unbeaten Gennady Golovkin of Kazakhstan. — AFP

Alab Pilipinas’ hot streak on the line versus HK Lions

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

ALAB Pilipinas is riding high on a three-game winning streak and looks to keep it firing when it goes up against the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions in a high-powered matchup between two of the top teams in the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) that will be aired LIVE from Southorn Stadium, Wan Chai, Hong Kong this Sunday (Jan. 22), 8 p.m. on ABS-CBN’s S+A channel.

Alab Pilipinas (5-2) will be leaning on Bobby Ray Parks, Jr. who is currently leading in almost every statistical category and has been their main man in big wins against league-leading Singapore Slingers, defending ABL champions WestSports Malaysia Dragons, and the Kaohsiung Truth. Parks will need to deliver his season average of 22.3 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists a game to help his team grab the solo second spot against the Hong Kong Eastern Long Lions, which is bannered by the trio of Lee Ki, Tyler Lamb, and Chan Siu Wing.

Parks hopes to get a big lift from Alab’s big men reinforcements Sampson Carter and James Hughes, who both immediately made an impact since coming on board last Jan. 8, through their rebounding and rim protection.

Meanwhile, in another ABL pairing, the Saigon Heat (1-4) looks to buck their slow start by following up their first victory of the season with another against the defending ABL champions WestSports Malaysia Dragons (1-5), which is also looking to get back to their winning ways on Friday (Jan. 20), live on S+A at 8 p.m.

For more information and stories, go online visit ABS-CBN’s sports hub sports.abs-cbn.com, and follow their official social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter (@ABSCBNSports).

Rose fuels slumping NY Knicks to win over Celtics

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

LOS ANGELES — Derrick Rose scored 12 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter on Wednesday as the New York Knicks pulled away for a 117-106 victory over the Celtics in Boston.

BOSTON, MA – JANUARY 18: Derrick Rose #25 of the New York Knicks takes a shot against Amir Johnson #90 of the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden on January 18, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images/AFP
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The win was a needed boost for the beleaguered Knicks, who came into the contest having dropped 11 of their last 13 and without injured Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah.

Star forward Carmelo Anthony, caught up in speculation over his relationship with Knicks President Phil Jackson and his future with the club, had a relatively quiet night with 13 points.

But Rose was one of six Knicks to score in double figures, matching his highest points total since joining the team in the off-season.

Mindaugas Kuzminskas and Willy Hernangomez added 17 points each for the Knicks, who ended a four-game skid against the Celtics.

Hernangomez also grabbed 11 rebounds and Rose pulled down 10 as the Knicks out-rebounded the Celtics, 57-33.

The Knicks closed out the second quarter with a 10-2 soring run to lead, 63-54, at halftime. They built the lead to as many as 12 early in the third, but the Celtics wouldn’t go away thanks in large part to the efforts of Isaiah Thomas, who finished with 39 points.

The Celtics narrowed the gap to one point in both the third and fourth quarters, but couldn’t edge ahead.

The win was a welcome respite for the Knicks, with Porzingis and Noah both scheduled to have MRI exams on Thursday. Porzingis missed his fourth straight game with a left Achilles tendon injury and Noah has a sprained left ankle, which swelled on the plane ride to Boston.

Then there’s the drama surrounding Anthony, who met with Jackson on Tuesday and reportedly reiterated his desire to remain with the team.

Anthony, who has a no-trade clause in his contract, admitted he was weary of the topic.

“You get tired of it,” he said of the questions. “I’m committed (to staying). I don’t have to prove that to anybody. I don’t think I have to keep saying that.” — AFP

Derrick Rose, #25 of the New York Knicks, takes a shot against Amir Johnson, #90 of the Boston Celtics during the first half at TD Garden on Jan. 18 in Boston, Massachusetts. — AFP

Kings, Elite in key PBA matchup today

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

THE Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings and Blackwater Elite, two teams in the middle of the pack of the ongoing PBA Philippine Cup, get entangled in a key matchup today that carries playoff implications.

Set for 7 p.m. at the Cuneta Astrodome in Pasay City, the Kings (4-4) and Elite (5-4) try to get the better of the other to fortify their hold of a quarterfinal position and, if possible, end in a favorable spot at the end of the elimination round.

Barangay Ginebra enters today’s contest off a win over the Meralco Bolts, 83-72, last Saturday in an out-of-town game in Iloilo City.

Joe Devance, LA Tenorio and Japeth Aguilar paced the Kings in the win that also saw Scottie Thompson play a brilliant all-around game.

Mr. Devance had a team-high 19 points to go along with six rebounds while Mr. Tenorio had 18 points on top of five rebounds and four assists, and Mr. Aguilar had a double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds before fouling out.

Sophomore Thompson, for his part, had seven points, seven assists and a game-high 16 rebounds.

Incidentally, the 19 points of Mr. Devance moved him past the 5,000-point mark in Asia’s first play-for-pay league.

PROPEL ITS CAUSE
Also coming off a victory and eyeing to propel its cause as the elimination round of the season-opening Philippine Basketball Association tournament comes to a close is Blackwater, which with a win will be in the vicinity for a shot at a top-two finish and the twice-to-beat advantage the goes with it in the quarterfinals.

Young stars Mac Belo and Arthur Dela Cruz are showing the way for the Elite, which are experiencing their best tournament so far in their young PBA existence.

Rookie Belo has been good for 16 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 steals a game while second-year player Dela Cruz is tallying 13.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.4 steals.

“Our energy this conference has been key for us and we really have to keep it up. We must not relax especially heading into the next round,” said Blackwater Elite Leo Isaac following their last victory over the Alaska Aces.

Meanwhile, serving as appetizer for PBA Friday is the contest between the Meralco Bolts (2-7) and Rain or Shine Elastopainters (5-3).

The Bolts have lost six straight games while the Elastopainters dropped their last game.

The Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Kings look to fortify their spot in the quarterfinals of the PBA Philippine Cup in their game against Blackwater Elite today at the Cuneta Astrodome. — Alvin S. Go

Hotly tipped Pliskova beginning to believe

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

MELBOURNE — Fifth seed Karolina Pliskova continued her impressive march through the Australian Open Thursday, and is beginning to believe she could be on track for a Grand Slam to remember.

Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova hits a return against Russia’s Anna Blinkova during their women’s singles second round match on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on January 19, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAEED KHAN / IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE – STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE

The towering Czech star dished out a 6-0, 6-2 lesson to hapless Russian qualifier Anna Blinkova in the second round and has only dropped four games so far in two matches.

She hasn’t lost this year, lifting the trophy in this month’s Brisbane International, and her confidence is running high.

“I’m feeling pretty good on the court, confident. I have some matches already that I won this year. I didn’t lose yet, which is also a good thing,” she said.

“I think I’m playing good, even though the opponents were not that high level, I would say.

Awaiting her next is Latvia’s Jelena Ostapenko, who upset 31st seed Yulia Putintseva in straight sets.

If she beats Ostapenko, as form suggests she will, a potential quarterfinal against third seed Agnieszka Radwanska will be within Pliskova’s sights.

But the Czech star, who broke through last year in making the US Open final, losing to Angelique Kerber, is taking nothing for granted.

Blinkova, in her Grand Slam debut aged only 18 and ranked 189 in the world, never stood a chance in warm sunshine on Margaret Court Arena.

It was her first match against a top 10 opponent and she was out of her depth, struggling with her first serve and her returning.

Power server Pliskova gave no ground and raced through the first set in just 25 minutes, with Blinkova winning only 12 points.

Ranked at a career-high five in the world, the tall and tattooed 24-year old was in no mood to give an inch and romped 4-0 in front in the second set before Blinkova finally held serve.

She raised her arm in the air and got huge cheers from the crowd, and then held serve for a second time before Pliskova wrapped up a routine victory.

KONTA SETS UP WOZNIACKI BLOCKBUSTER
Johanna Konta set up a mouth-watering third-round clash against former world number one Caroline Wozniacki at the Australian Open Thursday, with both players looking in fine touch.

The British ninth seed, who made the semifinals last year to kick-start a breakthrough season, doused the threat from promising 19-year-old Japanese Naomi Osaka 6-4, 6-2 on Rod Laver Arena.

Dane Wozniacki followed her on court and dismantled Croatia’s Donna Vekic 6-1, 6-3, barely putting a foot wrong.

Both players are angling for a maiden Grand Slam title with the winner of their clash on Saturday potentially facing sixth seed Dominika Cibulkova in the fourth round and Serena Williams in the quarters.

Coming off the back of winning the build-up Sydney International, the Sydney-born Konta has been improving by the day.

But Osaka was no pushover, having proved her credentials by making the third round of all three Grand Slams she entered in 2016.

She also made her first WTA final, at Tokyo where she lost to Wozniacki, and was named the WTA Newcomer of the Year. — AFP

Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova hits a return against Russia’s Anna Blinkova during their women’s singles second round match on day four of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on Jan. 19. — AFP

A memoir by Carmen Guerrero Nakpil

January 20, 2017 | 9:03 am

The iconic historian, journalist Carmen Guerrero Nakpil’s first volume of an autobiographical trilogy series and memoir Myself, Elsewhere is a “must read.” Having read it three times over span of six years, one finds valuable insights.

It is a personal account of her childhood in 1922, the period National Artist Nick Joaquin called, “Manila’s most glittering decade” until 1945 — the year of the city’s devastating destruction. Pre-war Ermita of the ilustrado families such as the Guerrero’s had been the residential area of gentility and refinement. In contrast, the dramatic battle of 1945 brutalized and destroyed it is vividly presented. It was during that battle that entire families were massacred and women were violated then pierced by bayonets.

Flashbacks and forwards are the tools she used to provide the historical background and foreground of her family history. The book describes the romantic, bygone era — the first half of the 20th century. Its cultural frame and way of life are seen in the vignettes on historical figures and famous relatives. One reads about the manners, morals, gossip, and intrigue of the small town on Manila Bay.

Critic Manuel Quezon III wrote: “It is authenticity that makes her book so powerful, her authentic affection for so alien a way of life as to seem impossible to present day readers…This is a look back at the way people really lived, loved, even hated, with details no novelist could have invented.”

The cover of Myself, Elsewhere is a stunningly elegant and formal color portrait of the author (in her 20s) by National Artist Vicente Manansala, done in 1949. The artist had painted only three portraits in his lifetime. This luminous portrait depicts the young author in black, hands demurely clasped with a pink scarf, her worldly wise eyes gazing directly at the viewer. She is portrayed as a strong woman who has survived the war, an independent thinker and achiever.

The book features interesting maps of old Manila and cherished photographs of the family tree and the illustrious ancestors and famous brothers.

The author, “CGN” to her avid admirers, is the epitome of elegance, eloquence and wit. Definitely, an accomplished and wise woman of the world. Her personal style and old world manners are impeccable.

Her writing style is likewise effortless and impeccable. She always uses just the perfect word or turn of phrase to describe an individual or to capture a scene. She makes history so easy to read and enjoy.

Here are some excerpts:

“The year I was born, 1922, was midway in the half century of American formal rule of the Philippines, equidistant from 1898 (when Spain ceded to the US a colony it no longer held) and 1946 (when America granted independence to the Philippines). It had been only 6 years since the great revolution against Spain and the execution of Jose Rizal and barely a generation, since the First Philippine Republic and the Filipino-American War…”

“I was raised among men who had either known Rizal at the Ateneo, or watched him face the firing squad on the Luneta only a few hundred meters from their home; served in the Malolos Congress and an Aguinaldo Cabinet or fought in the war against America…”

“I write about my years in Ermita before World War II, not with the usual maudlin nostalgic weakness for the past, but in profound affection for that lost time and place. While we lived there, none of us felt that we were living better, different, portentous, or exceptional lives. The even tenor of our days was not marred by thought of our uniqueness or significance.

“The cruelty and thoroughness of its destruction are what make our Ermita precious. Alone, of all towns and districts of old Manila, it was never rebuilt or recreated. After February 1945, it was dead and buried, over and done with and it is this finiteness that has made it, like the town of Guernica in Spain, into a memory, and a symbol of all that was innocent, sweet and luminous ruthlessly sacrificed to war.”

“I understand the craze in the Philippines and in Asia for skin-whitening because its 400-year-old roots are sunk deep in racial memory. Centuries of colonial discrimination and repression on the basis of skin pigmentation have left Filipinos and other Asians, especially their women hating the way they look. They yearn for hit skin because history and their own experiences have made fair complexion the symbol of wealth, power and beauty. Few realize that it’s the ultimate denial of their identity.”

Mrs. Nakpil has published the trilogy Myself, Elsewhere (2006), Legends & Adventures and Exeunt. (Nakpil Publishing, Book design by R.G. Nakpil).

Maria Victoria Rufino is an artist, writer and businesswoman. She is president and executive producer of Maverick Productions.

mavrufino@gmail.com