The only Canadian woman to achieve a world top-10 ranking in tennis is watching Eugenie Bouchards run at Wimbledon with great interest. Willi Castro Jersey . Carling Bassett-Seguso was a world No. 8 almost 30 years ago. Currently 13th, Bouchard is assured of equalling that when the next rankings are released Monday. The 20-year-old from Westmount, Que., became the first Canadian woman to reach Wimbledons semifinals with a 6-3, 6-4 win over ninth-seeded Angelique Kerber of Germany on Wednesday. "Im telling you shes going to number one," Bassett-Seguso told The Canadian Press. "I watched her play. I dont watch too much womens tennis to be honest with you. I watched that match and I was just blown away. "She just takes the ball so aggressively. Her composure, I cant even believe shes 20. Her shot selection, her timing is impeccable. She really takes the ball early. If you look at her statistics, she hits more winners than errors." A victory over third-seeded Simona Halep of Romania in Thursdays semifinal can push Bouchards ranking higher than eighth and set a new pinnacle in Canadian womens tennis. Bassett-Seguso intends to be watching from her home in Bradenton, Fla., as Bouchard attempts to make more Canadian tennis history. "It gives me great interest to watch now," the 46-year-old said. "She has such great potential. "I love Wimbledon. I look at it and say they hit the ball way harder than I did. Its a totally different game now. Whats exciting is she can hit a lot of other shots too. I like to see the creativity too." Bouchard also reached the semifinals of this years French Open and Australian Open. Canadas Federation Cup captain Sylvain Bruneau agrees with the Bassett-Segusos assessment of Bouchards potential. "Can she be No. 1 one day? I wouldnt dare to put any limits on Eugenie," he said. "With three semifinals at 20 years old and the type of tennis she plays, I dont think there is a limit. "I think she can aim for big things in tennis. No. 1 in the world is something that is very possible. Right now, shes playing great tennis." These are heady days in Canadian tennis. Milos Raonic of Thornhill, Ont., also earned his first Grand Slam semifinal berth Wednesday with a 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 7-6 (4) win over Australias Nick Kyrgios. Bassett-Seguso, who blazed her own tennis trail in the 1980s, is enjoying it from afar. "For me, its great," she said. "Theres a big interest and I think its going to be such a great asset to Canadian tennis itself, on the mens side too." Torontos Bassett-Seguso turned pro at 15 in 1983 when there were no age minimums to play on tour. She reached No. 8 in the world two years later. She was a semifinalist at the U.S. Open in 1984 when she lost to Chris Evert. She also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian and French Opens during her career. She married U.S. tennis player Robert Seguso in 1987. The couple once ran a tennis academy in Florida, but are no longer involved in the sport. They have five children ranging in age from two to 26. The blonde, photogenic Bassett-Seguso became a Canadian celebrity with the nickname "Darling Carling." The teenager worked for the Ford Modelling Agency. She acted in the teen movie "Spring Fever", as well as a television episode of "The Littlest Hobo." The success came with pressure, however. Bassett-Seguso struggled with an eating disorder during her career. She lost some of her passion for the game after the death of her father John in 1986 from cancer, although she continued to play on tour until 1990. Bouchard, also tall and blonde, is likewise attracting her share of attention, and endorsements, as her career soars. She has a significant following on social media and her fan club is "Genies Army." But joining the worlds top 10 players requires unwavering commitment to the sport, Bassett-Seguso said. Tennis is a world sport with 145 countries as members of the International Tennis Federation. "Its hard. Im not going to lie. Its really hard," Bassett-Seguso said. "I dont think anything is too hard if you want something bad enough and you have a plan and you have the right people around you and you know what has to go into it. "Youre going to fall (in the rankings) at times and thats where you have to constantly believe in yourself and take baby steps. You have to stay focused. Tennis has to be your whole life. It has to be." --- Canadian Press sports reporter Bill Beacon contributed to this story. Follow @DLSpencer10 on Twitter. Sergio Alcantara Jersey .Y. -- Florida Panthers captain Ed Jovanovski finally has something to show for all the pain he went through in overcoming a string of injuries that kept him sidelined for much of the past two years. Joe Jimenez Jersey . It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. https://www.cheaptigers.com/1559z-christin-stewart-jersey-tigers.html . Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points, Shawn Marion had 22 and the Mavericks beat undermanned Philadelphia 124-112 Friday night, handing the 76ers their 10th straight loss.Although UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao is among the worlds best mixed martial artists, hes still working on building a significant fan base in North America. His biggest fan in the world just might be UFC President Dana White, and thats just one reason Barao is the star of UFC 173. Barao (34-1) faces T.J. Dillashaw in the main event at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas on Saturday, headlining the UFCs traditional Memorial Day weekend card in its hometown. "I think (Barao) is the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world," White said. "I love this guy." Its tough to argue with White, given Baraos 22-fight winning streak and perfect record in UFC competition. The 135-pound Brazilian dynamo excels with both jiu-jitsu and strikes, fighting with a flair that has led to stoppages in six of his last nine fights. "I think I have a lot to improve in my game, but its always a pleasure to hear from your boss that you are the No. 1," Barao said. "This is the recognition of the hard work and training." Barao likely faces bigger obstacles than Dillashaw (10-2), a heavy underdog, on his path to stardom. Barao is a champion of a lighter weight class, which makes him traditionally less interesting to many fight fans. He also doesnt speak much English, making him tough to promote in North America. Even his Brazilian fans dont know much about his personality outside the cage -- although at least they know his last name isnt actually Barao, the Portuguese word for Baron and a nickname given to him by his grandmother. But with the UFC looking for new attractions in the absence of Georges St. Pierre and Anderson Silva, Barao is getting a chance to show off his incredible skills on another major stage, and White is confident fans will figure out what theyre seeing. "With Anderson, it took a long time for people to catch on," White said of his long-reigning former middleweight champion. "It doesnt happen overnight. When you look at the numbers, its all there. (Barao) is a killer. He tries to go in there and finish. Hes the type of guy I like to watch fight." Dillashaw worked his way into position for a title shot with fivve wins in six fights, but his matchup with Barao is the fourth fight that has been scheduled to headline this card. Rudy York Jersey. The Northern California native is eager to take advantage of the chance created when Raphael Assuncao, who beat Dillashaw by split decision last October, dropped out of this title shot with a rib injury. "Hes a great champion, but everyone has holes in their game," Dillashaw said. "Hes sloppy in exchanges, but he makes it work because hes a big, powerful athlete. I need to stay with what Im good at and use my angles to disrupt his power." Just in case Baraos fight against a game underdog doesnt intrigue enough pay-per-view buyers, UFC 173 also features light heavyweight contender Daniel Cormier against veteran Dan Henderson, along with a bout between welterweights Robbie Lawler and Jake Ellenberger. Cormier (14-0) is also a rising name in the UFC, but hes not a tough sell. The talkative former Olympic wrestler has been a dynamic fighter in Strikeforce and the UFC at heavyweight and light heavyweight, where hes currently closing in on a title shot against pound-for-pound contender Jon Jones. Henderson (30-11) is a significant underdog, but any fighter is just one punch away from disaster when hes in the cage with the 43-year-old veteran whose knockout power is no longer aided by testosterone replacement therapy. "(Hendersons) big right hand is the single biggest weapon in MMA, even more dangerous than Ronda Rouseys armbar," Cormier said. "It can come at any time from any direction. No question thats what makes this a dangerous fight. But Ive made a career of making those guys, who possess that something special, like they never had it. I need to stay super-focused and avoid those punches." Although Henderson has lost three of his last four fights, he knocked out Mauricio "Shogun" Rua in spectacular fashion just two months ago. "I want to knock everyone out that I fight," Henderson said. "Its not always the easiest thing to pull off, but Ive done pretty well with it throughout my career. And its definitely nice knowing you have that power going into a fight." ' ' '