Montreals Eugenie Bouchard has been preparing for the Australian Open semifinal her entire life. Justin Jones Jersey . 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." Derwin James Jersey .Morse gets a $1 million signing bonus and salaries of $7 million next season and $8 million in 2016 under the agreement announced Wednesday. Chargers Jerseys . In the days leading up to the draft, TSN.ca and TSN Radio basketball analyst Duane Watson looks at some of the names that will be headlining the event. Tonight, Michigans Nik Stauskas of Mississauga, Ontario. http://www.chargersprofansshop.com/Black-Kyzir-White-Chargers-Jersey.html?cat=940 . The 2010 batting champ showed what he can do when hes mostly healthy. Gonzalez homered, doubled and singled in his return to the lineup, and the Colorado Rockies snapped a five-game losing streak with a 13-4 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday night.CHICAGO -- A person familiar with the situation says the Chicago Cubs and reliever Jose Veras were closing in on a $4 million, one-year contract. The person spoke Tuesday on the condition of anonymity because the deal with the 33-year-old right-hander was pending a physical. Veras would get $3.85 million