MONTREAL -- Canadian tennis star Eugenie Bouchard says she had no problem with a controversial question she fielded at last months Australian Open, moments after the biggest win of her career. The 19-year-old from Westmount, Que., had just become the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 30 years when she was asked by an on-court female interviewer who she would like to date, if she could choose anyone in the world. Many observers quickly deemed the question sexist, with some asking whether a similar query would ever be put to a male athlete. The exchange attracted even more attention because Bouchard, apparently caught off guard by the question, blurted out an unexpected response on live TV: "Um, Justin Bieber?" Her reference to the Canadian pop star seemed to be tongue-in-cheek. Bouchard, who will represent Canada at this weekends Federation Cup in Montreal, said Wednesday she thought the question was all in good fun and she was happy to play along. "I think it was a fine question, you know, I think its entertainment for the fans," Bouchard said when asked at a Fed Cup news conference if she thought the Australian Open question was sexist. "It was actually a fan question, so at the end of the day, its for the fans and, if thats what theyre curious about, well thats fine by me." The No. 19-ranked Bouchard said she might like to know more herself about who, for example, a certain soccer player would want to date. Sometimes, she added, it can be fun to handle questions about something other than tennis because the answers might interest a broader audience. When asked if she thought a male athlete might receive a similar question, Bouchard didnt directly respond, saying the fact shes a younger player might explain why she got such a query. "You know, they wouldnt ask Roger Federer that question -- obviously, hes married and has kids," she said, referring to the 32-year-old Swiss tennis legend. "But I dont know, maybe, I think they should (ask) other single tennis players. Why not?" The question came after Bouchard, who was the 30th seed at the Australian Open, completed a stunning 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 upset of former world No. 1 Ana Ivanovic. The victory made her the first Canadian to reach the semis at a Grand Slam since Carling Bassett-Seguso at the 1984 U.S. Open. Bouchards impressive run in Melbourne came to an end a couple of days later when she lost 6-2, 6-4 to fourth-seeded Li Na of China in the semifinal. But her accomplishments caught the attention of tennis fans in Canada and abroad, including a group of a dozen or so raucous Aussies who became her unofficial cheering section at every match. The group, which dubbed itself the "Genie Army," wore T-shirts that spelled her name, belted out cheers composed just for her and tossed stuffed animals to her on the court following each of her appearances. Bouchard was asked Wednesday about how much things have changed since her emergence at the Australian Open, where some commentators called her next big thing in womens tennis and a potential future Grand Slam tournament champion. "For sure theres been more attention and I think it comes with the job," said Bouchard, who added that more people now recognize her on the street. "It just shows, you know, if you have success on court, youll get attention off the court. But my first priority is tennis and I focus on that and make sure I get everything I need to do done. "And then if theres other attention off the court, well, thats a good thing." Oakland Athletics Shirts . Wrights first stint with Milwaukee was on a 10-day contract from March 14-23. He played in two games, averaging six points and two rebounds in 16. Stitched Athletics Jerseys . The Canadians led for much of the game before Argentina forced overtime in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. 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After both men had disastrous outings in Tuesdays 18-4 mauling at the hands of the Tigers, its clear that neither is the best option to begin the season in Toronto.(SportsNetwork.com) - The Carolina Hurricanes were shut out in their most recent trip to the ice, but their offensive struggles are nowhere near as alarming as what is currently plaguing the Calgary Flames. The Canes look to bounce back after having their longest winning streak of the season halted as they host the Flames on Monday night. The Flames will not have Mike Cammalleri in their lineup after he suffered a concussion in the Flames 2-1 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. Carolina won the first four of their recent five-game win streak by one-goal margins, netting 14 goals in that span. Following a postponed game versus Buffalo due to weather, the Hurricanes routed the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1 on Thursday, but saw their offense go cold in a 3-0 setback at Columbus the following night. Anton Khudobin made 21 saves for the Hurricanes, who were shut out for the third time this season and for the first time since Dec. 9. "The first period was like a chess match type of game for both teams," Carolina coach Kirk Muller said. "Nothing was going on, which we were quite happy with. "Then, one or two breakdowns and they capitalized. Theyre a good team. They play a good system. They dont give up much. We dont give up much either, but we werent able to sustain that second and third opportunity and capitalize." The Blue Jackets were able to slow down Canes forward Jeff Skinner, who went into the game with 17 goals in his previous 17 contests but couldnt find the back of the next on Friday despite a team-high seven shots on net. Skinner could get some help on Monday if captain Eric Staal can return from a lower-body injury that has sidelined him the past three games. Staal, who had played in 191 consecutive games, was able to return to practice on Sunday and has 10 goals and 35 points in 42 games this season. "Weve got to see how hhe responds to (Sunday).dddddddddddd We want to be smart," Muller told Carolinas website. "We have all the days off after that, so we want to make sure if hes ready to go (Monday), its nothing that sets him back." Carolina will now take on a Calgary team that has been in an offensive rut for the last two-plus weeks. The Flames have been outscored 13-1 over a three-game slide and 26-6 over their past eight games, a span in which they have been shut out five times while going 1-7-0. Calgary was nearly blanked again on Saturday versus the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins until Mikael Backlund scored at 11:29 of the third period in a 2-1 loss. Backlunds goal snapped a club-record 196-minute, 59-second scoring drought at home for the Flames. Reto Berra was solid in the loss with 24 saves. "I wasnt as good as the guy on the other side tonight," said Berra. "You know, the guys in front made some blocks and I was able to make some saves, but not enough." The Flames will play two straight and four of their next five on the road. Calgary didnt light up the lamp all that much in its first meeting with Carolina this season, but still managed a 2-1 home victory in overtime on Dec. 12. Chris Butler scored the winning goal with inside of four seconds left in the bonus frame, while Karri Ramo made 29 saves. That included a stop on Skinner during a third-period penalty shot. The Flames beat the Hurricanes for the sixth time in the past eight meetings, but have lost two straight in Carolina. Skinner had a goal and Justin Peters made 28 saves for Carolina. The Hurricanes activated forward Riley Nash off injured reserve on Saturday while sending forwards Zach Boychuk and Brett Sutter to the minors. Nash had missed the past five games with a lower-body injury and has four goals with six assists in 36 games this season. ' ' '
