At the quarterfinals of the 2011 Easter Bowl, sixteen-year-old Spencer Liang saw her opponent’s ball land just on the line, close enough for the call to go either way.The ball was ruled out, but in spirit of great sportsmanship, Liang of Potomac, MD called the ball in.
Such simple acts of sportsmanship should not be a surprise to those who know Liang or have played her, but it still managed to amaze her mother, Velma Lee.
“I was a little surprised she made that call,” Lee said. “But if you win, you have to win the fair way.”
By Liang’s own admission, her attitude on court was not always the best even a few years ago. But she gradually matured and realized that being respectful during a tennis match is essential to the game.
“Sportsmanship is very important in tennis,” she said. “You should respect your opponent and yourself. If you’re not respectful to anyone, then you’re not a good sport.”
For her efforts, Liang was given this year’s Easter Bowl Sportsmanship Award, an honor she received two years ago as well. Along the way, she took home another sportsmanship honor at the San Diego Hard Court Championships in 2010 and was selected as the Paul Goldstein Sportsmanship Award recipient by USTA Maryland.
Liang has been picking up victories on the tennis court as well.
At Easter Bowl, she reached the semifinals in both singles and doubles play. The results indicated to Liang that she could perform well on the court in addition to having a good attitude.
“It makes me proud that I’m able to be called a good sport and still be winning matches,” she said.
Liang, a sophomore at Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, MD is also excelling in the classroom as a straight-A student.
The youngest of three girls, Liang first followed in her sisters’ footsteps of gymnastics at a young age. But Liang quickly realized that she wanted a sport to call her own and gave tennis a try.
While attending a tennis clinic with thousands of other children, Liang got to the hit the ball only several times, but she instantly fell in love with the game.
Now ranked 8th nationally in the Girls’ 16 division, Liang has her sights set on winning prestigious national tournaments and playing in the U.S. Open Juniors tournament.
And one can be sure that she will be doing so with a winning attitude.
This article was written for USTA/Mid-Atlantic and can be viewed here.
This article was written for USTA/Mid-Atlantic and can be viewed here.
