Canadian youngster and tennis' latest pinup girl Eugenie Bouchard will look to continue her tremendous run at the Australian Open when she takes on the experienced Li Na in the semifinals on Thursday.
Where to Watch Live
The semifinal is scheduled for a not before 1.30 pm AEDT (8 am IST) start with live coverage on Star Sports 4 and Star Sports HD2 in India. The match can also be live streamed online HERE. Catch the action in Africa HERE, while viewers in the US can watch the matches via live streaming HERE. UK viewers can live stream the matches HERE and HERE.
Bouchard topped Ana Ivanovic, who beat Serena Williams in the fourth round, in the quarterfinals, showing great maturity to see of the former Grand Slam winner in three sets, to set up a clash with Li Na.
"I tried to stay calm," Bouchard said explaining her match against Ivanovic. "I tried to for sure show I was calm. I did feel confident. Having lost the first set and things like that, I just tried to focus on what I had to do during the point to try to win, really just try to keep pressing her and moving forward.
"That's what kept me really calm. I felt like, you know, my game kind of got a bit better as the match went on. I feel like in the first set I was close, but I was kind of missing shots just by a little bit, hitting the tape of the net, just a bit out.
"I felt like my game was there and I just needed to relax a little bit and play."
The 19-year-old said she is not surprised by reaching the final four of a Grand Slam for the first time in her career. "It's something I've been doing since I was five years old and working my whole life for and sacrificing a lot of things for," she said. "So it's not exactly a surprise. I always expect myself to do well.
"I'm just happy to have, you know, gone through this step. I'm not done. I have a match on Thursday. I'm just looking forward to that."
Bouchard knows that Li Na will present probably her toughest challenge yet at this year's Australian Open. "She's a great champion," Bouchard added. "She's won a slam, as well. It's going to be really tough. I played her once in Montreal two years ago. We had a close match. But it was one of my first bigger matches.
"It will be interesting to play her. I know she's very solid, very good from the back. It's going to be hard, but I'm looking forward to it."
For Li Na, with Williams, Victoria Azarenka and Maria Sharapova all getting knocked out, it presents a really good opportunity to win another major, and the Chinese will no doubt not take her Canadian opponent on Thursday lightly.
"When I think about that [the draw opening up], I always lose next day," Li Na said. "So, you know, for me, it was just like, 'OK, she's not my next opponent, so I just say, You just follow what you should do."
