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id Bynum showed "glimpses" of being a force near the basket again,
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2014/09/17 08:42AM
Latest post: 2014/09/17 08:42AM, Views: 283, Posts: 1
Latest post: 2014/09/17 08:42AM, Views: 283, Posts: 1
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MELBOURNE, Australia -- Montreals Eugenie Bouchard has been preparing for the Australian Open semifinal her entire life. Bouchard became the first Canadian woman to reach a Grand Slam semi in three decades with her 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 quarter-final win over former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic on Monday. She faces Chinas Li Na on Thursday in the Australian Opens final four. "This is something Ive been doing since I was five years old and working my whole life for and sacrificing a lot of things for," said Bouchard. "So its not exactly a surprise. I always expect myself to do well. Im just happy to have gone through this step. Im not done. I have a match on Thursday. Im just looking forward to that." The semifinal pairing of the 19-year-old Bouchard versus the 31-year-old Li, who won the 2011 French Open, has captured the attention of tennis fans around the world. Li has played two of the last three finals at Melbourne Park. That kind of WTA rep does not bother the confident Bouchard, whose ad-hoc Genie Army of a dozen or so Aussie fans will surely be out in full force for the showcase event. "Lis a great champion, shes won a Slam, as well, its going to be really tough," said Bouchard, playing in the main draw of a major for only the fourth time. "I played her once in Montreal two years ago. We had a close match, one of my first bigger matches. "It will be interesting to play her. I know shes very solid, very good from the back. Its going to be hard, but Im looking forward to it." Beside her tennis, its Bouchards bubbly personality that has captured fan fancy, with commentators already labelling her the next breakout womens star. The Canadian extrovert, who confesses to possessing a Type A, get-it-done personality -- especially on the court -- is dealing with the expectations well. "Im a really focused person, really driven. Off the court Im almost impatient in a way," said Bouchard. "On the court Im the same way. I really just want to play my game, be aggressive, take it to my opponent, and not just wait around and wait for opportunities. "I think its a good thing to take my chances when Im on the court." Bouchards not intimidated by the big stage of a Grand Slam tournament, either. "The matches I had last year on the big courts, like (Maria) Sharapova at the French Open, Ivanovic at Wimbledon, just being on those big stages gave me a lot of experience," she said. "Now walking out on centre court in Australia, I feel like Ive been here before. Ive been able to perform on big stages as well. It gives me that extra confidence." While she wont make any predictions about her match with Li, Bouchard is fairly certain that her supporters will be tossing another stuffed Aussie animal onto the court after the match, bringing her tournament total to five. The bulky mementos have a special place in her heart, with Bouchard bringing each new one to post-match media availability and sitting it proudly next to the microphone. Getting the growing menagerie back to Quebec should not be a problem for the resourceful Bouchard. "I have a koala, and kangaroo, a kookaburra, and a wombat," she said. "I will create luggage space. Its worth it to take my wombat home." Cheap Jerseys From China . Orlov, who scored two goals in the game, was assessed a major penalty for boarding on the play. The Flyers scored once on the power play and again with the extra attacker with 65 seconds remaining to send the game to overtime. Jerseys From China . The Canadiens hope to even the series Sunday when they visit the New York Rangers for Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. http://www.nfljerseycheap.us.com/ .C. -- The Carolina Panthers added a pair of unrestricted free agents Thursday, signing safety Thomas DeCoud to a two-year contract and tight end Ed Dickson to a one-year deal. Wholesale NFL Jerseys . The Chicago Bulls wanted to improve their outside shooting. Cheap Jerseys .ca presents its latest weekly power rankings for the 2013-14 Barclays Premier League season. CLEVELAND -- The Andrew Bynum experiment appears over for the Cavaliers. The team suspended the enigmatic centre indefinitely on Saturday for "conduct detrimental to the team" and banned him from all team-related activities. Bynum, who signed a two-year, $24 million contract with the Cavs in July, did not travel with the team to Boston for Saturdays game and its likely that he has played his final game for Cleveland. The Cavs will try to trade Bynum. Bynums suspension isnt a major shock considering he has not performed at a consistent level and has appeared uninterested while on the floor. Earlier this season, the 7-footer, who did not play a single second last season for Philadelphia because of knee injuries, talked openly about retirement and said his medical issues have been a challenge to overcome. "Its a terrible situation internally with our team," All-Star guard Kyrie Irving said before the Cavs faced the Celtics. "Its something we have to get over." Cavs coach Mike Brown has been a huge supporter of Bynum. The two were together in Los Angeles and their relationship was one of the reasons the Cavs risked signing Bynum. Brown was asked if Bynums days with the Cavs were over. "Hes on an indefinite suspension and Im not trying to be funny, but you know what indefinite means," Brown said. "Weve got 14 guys in that locker room who are very focused and determined and ready to take on any challenge thats in front of them. Theyre great guys, theyre focused guys and they know how to play the game the right way and thats what Im focused on, just helping those guys win." There were times this season Bynum showed flashes of being a dominant post player again. But recently he has lacked energy or enthusiasm, and on Monday he missed all 11 field-goal attempts and didnt score in 22 minutes against Detroit. On Thursday night, Bynum struggled to guard Atlantas Al Horford and was taken out in the third quarter. Bynum didnt return despite Horford suffering a torn chest muscle in the Hawks double-overtime winn.dddddddddddd Bynum impressed the Cavs with his work ethic while getting ready for the season. They werent sure if he was motivated, but Bynum shocked many by being ready to play on opening night and seemed to have revived his career. The Cavs, however, grew concerned about Bynums attitude in recent weeks and were worried about it affecting team chemistry. So, they opted to remove him before things got worse. Cavs guard Jarrett Jack said Bynum wasnt disruptive and that his quietness may have been misinterpreted. "Thats just kind of how people are sometimes," Jack said. "People like to march to the beat of their own drum. Thats not saying youre a bad guy, thats just how you are. I thought we actually had a good relationship with him. He wasnt somebody that was reluctant to speak to people. I thought we had a decent bit of camaraderie and hopefully this will pass and be over and well be back at full strength soon." The Cavs only guaranteed Bynum $6 million on his deal, and they can clear more salary cap space if he is traded or released by Jan. 7. There could be interest in Bynum by a team willing to accept that hes not the same player who routinely recorded double-digit points and rebounds for the Los Angeles Lakers. The 26-year-old Bynum spent seven seasons with the Lakers, who selected him with the 10th overall pick in the 2005 draft. Bynum is averaging 8.6 points and 5.3 rebounds in 24 games -- 19 starts this season. Although Brown said Bynum showed "glimpses" of being a force near the basket again, the Cavs had to place the welfare of the team ahead of getting the former All-Star turned around. "Im worried about the guys in the locker room," he said. "Its as simple as that. In our business there are a lot of ups and a lot of downs throughout the season. I think you all understand that. So what you do as a head coach is you keep moving forward. Any time you look back on anything or dwell on anything is wasted energy from the guys in the locker room, which is obviously very important." ' ' '
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