MELBOURNE, Australia -- Montreals Eugenie Bouchard is out of the Australian Open. Dwight King Kings Jersey . Chinas Li Na defeated Bouchard 6-2, 6-4 on Thursday in the semifinal of the womens singles tournament. The 19-year-old Bouchard is the first Canadian woman to reach the final four of a Grand Slam tournament in 30 years. "Im proud of how Ive improved as a player throughout the tournament. But Im never satisfied with losing. Im always disappointed," said Bouchard, who received a fifth stuffed Aussie animal -- an Emu named Sheila -- from her Australian fans dubbed the Genie Army. "I always want to go further and do better. I wouldnt say I exceeded my expectations, but Im happy with how I did." Li, the No. 4-seed and the 2011 French Open champion, is the only major winner and the highest-ranked player still in contention after the fourth-round upsets of Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. Defending champion Victoria Azarenkas lost in the quarter-final to Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland. No. 5 seed Radwanska was playing Dominika Cibulkova in the second semifinal later Thursday. Bouchard was determined to build off the success she experienced at the Australian Open. "Ive been working hard my whole life to do this, play at Grand Slams and do well," said Bouchard. "Its not an overnight thing. So Im just going to go back to the practice courts and keep working hard." Li, who lost last years final to Azarenka, was aggressive from the start against Bouchard, who started nervously and didnt win a point in her first three service games. Fittingly, Li finished off the match with a backhand crosscourt, one of 16 backhand winners in the match and her biggest weapon against Bouchard. "I think maybe she will be best player in the world. But today (Im) so lucky," said Li during a court-side interview after the match. Li jokingly apologized to the Genie Army after the match, undoubtedly increasing her own huge support base at Melbourne Park. "Sorry about that," she said. "If you guys be happy, I will go home." Bouchard said she changed her strategy to get out of her early slump. "I just wanted to get into the match a little bit more. I felt like she was really hitting her shots. I was just letting her do all these winners side to side, it wasnt really my game," said Bouchard. "I tried to get into the rallies more, try to step in a little bit more, and try to put more pressure on her because she was just putting a lot of pressure on me. "She didnt give me much breathing space, much room to do what I want to do on the court. I tried to put pressure, but she just played too good at moments." Wayne Gretzky Jersey . Pelfrey hit a tiebreaking two-run double and limited the Rockies to three solo homers, helping the New York Mets to a 4-3 win over Colorado on Tuesday night. Jarret Stoll Kings Jersey . LOUIS -- Duke forward Jabari Parker has won the Wayman Tisdale Award, presented by the U.Kelly Russell knows younger sister Laura is never too far behind her on the rugby pitch. And thats good news for Canada. Kelly, who plays No. 8 at the back of the scrum, is captain of the Canadian womens team. Younger sister Laura is a prop, plying her trade at the forwards coal face. "We know each others tendencies on the field so its always great to play with her," said Kelly, who at 27 has two years on her sister. "Shes a hard worker, so anywhere Im around the pitch shes there too. I always know shes got my back." Kelly Russell has 24 more women behind her as Canada gears up for Fridays Womens Rugby World Cup opener against Spain in France. A quiet leader, Russell has the respect of her Canadian crew. "Kellys amazing," said veteran centre Mandy Marchak. "Shes very focused, very strong-minded. She understand what it is to be a part of such a big team and she leads by example. Shes quiet but when she speaks, it speaks volumes. She backs everything she says by how she plays. "Shes very strong on the field -- individually and for the team. Shes a really important part of the team. Kelly and I have been friends for a pretty long time and (shes) somebody I look up to." Marchak and Russell share a moment before each game. "Something I feel I personally have shared with Kelly throughout the years has been the final minutes before running onto the pitch, I turn to Kelly and she gives me this nod," Marchak wrote in a 2012 blog. "I know this nod very well. Its a nod saying were ready, we know what we need to do, lets just go out and do it. "It has actually been the one thing I feel I look forward to, as it calms me and gives me that last ounce of believe." Russell, who also played in the 2010 World Cup as well as two sevens World Cups, sees good things ahead for this Canadian team which she describes as a mix of experience with "want-to-impress" new blood. Originally from Bolton, Ont., Russell is one of about 20 women, all tied into the sevens program, who are centralized in the Victoria area.Dustin Brown. Other players have moved west to train with them. Part of their regimen involves working with UFC bantamweight Sarah Kaufman at the ZUMA gym in Victoria. Kaufman helps them with condition and grappling -- wrestling takedowns are similar to tackling to rugby. "A real help," said Russell. Canada, which finished fourth in 1998, 2002 and 2006 and a disappointing sixth in 2010, is in a pool with England, Samoa and Spain. The three pool winners and the runner-up with the best record advance to the semifinals. New Zealand has won the last four tournaments, defeating England in the last three finals. The Russell sisters -- including an older sibling -- followed their fathers footsteps into rugby with the Toronto Nomads. Kelly was 14 or 15 when she took up the sport. Now she leads Canada out on rugbys biggest stage. "When I started, it was just about playing rugby and trying it out. And I just loved it right away," she recalled. "So the natural progression was just to keep pursuing higher levels." She got her first cap in 2007 and has 35 going into the World Cup -- no small feat considering womens rugby internationals are few and far between. Named to the 2010 World Cup all-star squad, Russell was named Rugby Canadas Womens Fifteens Player of the Year for 2013. Canada last faced Spain at the 1991 and 2006 World Cups, winning 79-0 and 19-4. "Were expecting Spain to play a lot of rugby (Friday) with a lot of ball in play, fast pace and a lot of running, similar to the style we play and they play with no fear," Canadian coach Francois Ratier said in a statement. "This is the World Cup. And its important for us to set the tone with a big effort against Spain. We need to focus on our game and dont change our style or philosophy because its been working -- just push up the intensity." cheap jerseys ' ' '
