Australian Open: Teenager Eugenie Bouchard reaches semi finals

Jan 22, 2014
Australian Open: Teenager Eugenie Bouchard reaches semi finals
19-year old Canadian player Eugenie Bouchard reached the Australian Open semi-finals with a memorable 5-7 7-5 6-2 win over Ana Ivanovic. The Canadian took control of the match after Ivanovic requested a medical timeout and will face Li Na in the semi-finals after the Chinese player beat Italy's Flavia Pennetta. Ivanovic is a former world number one but has failed to reach a Grand Slam final since the 2008 Australian Open. Ana Ivanovic, the player who produced a huge upset by beating top seed Serena Williams in the previous round, looked set to reach the semi-finals when she won the first set, ending a run of five consecutive breaks. Both players appeared unable to hold their serve but teenager Bouchard had a best of an error-plagued second set. Ivanovic had left the court midway through the second set for treatment. The decisive set showed an even more determined Bouchard, much more composed when serving. The Canadian broke to take a 3-1 lead and then never looked back. Asked how she was dealing with the pressure that comes with such success, Bouchard said: "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. So it's not exactly a surprise. I always expect myself to do well. I'm just happy to have gone through this step. I'm not done. I have a match on Thursday. I'm just looking forward to that." Ivanovic said after the match: "I was battling with my right leg since the beginning of the tournament. Then the left one came on today. Despite all that, I was still on court. I was doing my best. Today she was the better player." Eugenie Bouchard is 11/1 to win the Australian Open at Bet365 while Viktoria Azarenka is the main favourite at 11/10.
General Sportsbook News Sports Events Back to articles