Plauderecke » Six of them showed up for the event and

MONTREAL -- Theyve composed chants just for Canadian tennis player Eugenie Bouchard, roared for her until they went hoarse, and toasted her wins by fudging their way through "O Canada." Meet the "Genie Army" -- a dozen boisterous Aussies who, despite boasting zero connection to Canada, have become Bouchards unofficial cheerleaders at the Australian Open. Members of the weeks-old squad have jumped, danced and serenaded their way into an unmistakable grandstand presence during the Montreal teens impressive run at the event, where she has earned a semifinal spot Thursday. The devotees, mostly men in their 20s, have also fashioned red-and-white T-shirts that spell out Bouchards name, flapped banners for her during matches, and lobbed plush animals -- each of them native to Australia -- to her on the court following each of her victories. Though they have had little face-to-face interaction with Bouchard, they have certainly commanded her attention in Melbourne. "The crowd here has been amazing, especially the Genie Army," Bouchard, 19, said Tuesday during an on-court interview after beating Ana Ivanovic. She then pointed up to her noisy, personal cheering section. "Ive had so much fun. Thank you guys." The inspiration behind a brigade dedicated to Bouchard came after a bunch of Australian buddies watched her upset Ivanovic last year at Wimbledon, said one of the Army members. In December, as the Australian Open approached, Jacob Wright said the crew decided to become her own booster club, so they started making shirts and penning Bouchard chants. The Genie Army was born. "Shes just a great tennis player," Wright, 20, told The Canadian Press in a Skype interview from Melbourne. "Obviously, shes a good-looking girl as well, and were young guys, but she is a really good tennis player. Its really, really good fun to watch." Their movement has had nothing to do with patriotism, either. When asked whether any of them had a connection to Canada, he replied: "None of us." Wright said they caught Bouchards attention during her first-round match, which was held on a more-intimate court that brings fans closer to the players. Six of them showed up for the event and were lucky enough to have their photos taken with Bouchard, get her autograph, and exchange a few words with their favourite player after the victory. The Genie Army nation was thrilled, Wright added, when Bouchard later told an interviewer she hoped they would show up for her next match. They havent missed one since -- and their ranks have doubled to about 12. Wright said it has been a bit of a give-and-take relationship, with Bouchard thanking her believers in interviews and by making gestures, such as posting a couple of photos of them on her Twitter feed. The connection likely hit its only bumpy patch on Tuesday when she was asked in a post-match interview about who she would like to date, if she could choose anyone in the world. An embarrassed Bouchard, who appeared to be taken off guard by the question, blurted out the name of Canadian pop star Justin Bieber. In TV footage, members of the Genie Army were shown waving off her choice. They remain committed, however, to backing Bouchard for the long haul, even if they initially didnt expect it to last. Wright admitted they never predicted Bouchard, the tournaments 30th seed, would advance to the semifinal, but theyve enjoyed the longer-than-expected ride. Bouchard, in fact, became the first Canadian to reach a Grand Slam semifinal in 30 years. "My voice doesnt usually sound like this, Im pretty husky from a week of just full-on yelling as loud as I can," said Wright, who was wearing a white T-shirt with a red Maple Leaf and a Bouchard autograph. "But yeah, weve just been yelling, chanting -- and overall the response from the crowds been really good." He said group members have also been surprised by the notoriety theyve amassed throughout the tournament, growing so big that they have been interviewed by media outlets and have frequently been asked to pose for photos with other fans. "Well be standing there for 20 minutes or something (after matches)," said Wright, whose group has an online presence on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, where .GenieArmy was trending after Tuesdays win. "Its getting really full of fun." But their primary mission has not changed since Day 1: support Bouchard. During her matches, the crew can be heard belting out custom chants from the bleachers, including a fight song usually reserved for when she first steps onto the hardcourt. "We are the Army, the Genie Army, and we are mental, and we are mad," a clapping Wright chanted as he began a demonstration of the mantra. The gang has even sung the Canadian national anthem, though Wright admits only a couple of them know the words. The first time they attempted "O Canada," he said they received some welcome help from Canadian fans in the crowd. "We started it off, but then we had a lot of Canadians around us, so they sort of finished it off for us," Wright said. "It wasnt a very good rendition." Air Max 90 Uk Cheap Online . "We cannot stay the same way the whole season long," said Reyes. "This is not acceptable. Something needs to change because were a better team than what were showing right now. Its a long season and we just need to continue to push." Its been a frustrating week for the ballclub. Air Max 90 Uk . The league announced Thursday that Tom Higgins is leaving that post effective immediately. http://www.cheapairmax90uk.com/. Bradwell was scheduled to become a free agent Tuesday. Born and raised in Toronto, Bradwell is entering his sixth CFL season, with all six played for his hometown Argonauts. Cheap Air Max 90 Sale . Top-seeded Djokovic swept to a 6-1, 6-3 win over 51st-ranked Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain in just 57 minutes, but fourth-seeded Federer had to see off a serious challenge from 48th-ranked Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic before coming through 6-2, 6-7 (4), 6-3. Wholesale Air Max 90 . The Sioux Falls Canaries scored two in the seventh and three more in the eighth to come back from a 3-0 deficit and defeat the Winnipeg Goldeyes 5-3 in front of 6,769 at Shaw Park on Sunday afternoon. PHILADELPHIA -- The Tampa Bay Lightning are becoming quite comfortable on the road, even in the toughest buildings. Valtteri Filppula scored the go-ahead goal during a wild second period and the Lightning beat the Flyers 6-3 Saturday afternoon to snap Philadelphias 10-game home winning streak. Ryan Malone had two goals, Alex Killorn, Teddy Purcell, and Martin St. Louis also scored goals for the Lightning, who moved into a tie with Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division. Jakub Voracek had two goals and Wayne Simmonds also scored for the Flyers, who were 7-1 in their previous eight games. The Flyers hadnt lost at home since Nov. 5 against Carolina. The Lightning went 0-5-2 on the road between Nov. 16 and Dec. 14. But theyre 7-1 since then. "When we lost seven in a row, we had some adversity, but we had some guys injured and those were tough buildings to play in," St. Louis said. Goaltender Steve Mason had his worst game for Philadelphia, allowing five goals for the first time in 41 games with the team since being acquired last April. He was pulled for Ray Emery after the second period. "I wasnt very good," Mason said. It wasnt entirely his fault. "We left Mase out to dry," captain Claude Giroux said, alluding to several turnovers that resulted into three goals on odd-man rushes. After a quiet first period in which Killorn scored the only goal, the teams combined for seven in a defenceless, wide-open second. Just 66 seconds after Voraceks second goal tied it at 3, Filppula scored his 18th goal on backhander off a rebound to give the Lightning the lead for good. St. Louis fired a shot past Mason for his 20th goal with 57 seconds left in the period to give Tampa its third, two-goal lead. They held onto this one. "You try to prepare the best you can to help the team win and to score 20 goals is something Im proud off," said St.ddddddddddddLouis, who has accomplished that 10 times in his career. Tampa defenceman Matt Carle was a plus-6 with two assists and didnt even take a shot. "He was outstanding," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. Down 3-1, the Flyers rallied when Simmonds scored a power-play goal on a rebound off Girouxs slap shot. Voracek tied it a few minutes later on a nifty goal. He took a pass from Andrej Meszaros, skated down the right side, weaved through three defenders and beat goalie Anders Lindback with a shot past his left skate. Killorn gave the Lightning a 1-0 lead less than five minutes in when he stole a pass near Philadelphias blue line, skated around defenceman Mark Streit and wristed a shot over Masons shoulder. Philadelphia missed two chances in the first period when Tye McGinn hit the crossbar Voracek hit the post during a two-man advantage. Tampa scored a pair of goals 2:07 apart early in the second sandwiched around a goal by the Flyers. Purcell started the scoring outburst with a shot from the left side that went between Masons legs. Then Voracek scored 83 seconds later on a 1-on-none breakaway after Giroux intercepted a pass and flipped him the puck. But Malone made it 3-1 on a 2-on-1 breakaway off a pass by Nate Thompson. Malone added an empty-net goal in the third. The Lightnings recent road success includes wins at Detroit, Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg. "We have a good thing going on the road lately and we hope to keep it going," defenceman Andrej Sustr. NOTES: Lightning G Ben Bishop missed his third straight game with a sprained right wrist. He could return Monday at Columbus. ... The Flyers were seeking their first 11-game home winning streak since 2003. ... Mason was yanked from a game for the third time this season. ... Lightning improved to 6-7-1 vs. teams in the Metropolitan Division. ' ' '