It was quarterfinals day on day nine as a steady stream of people flowed into Melbourne Park eager for one of the more intriguing days of tennis at the Australian Open so far. With all the quarterfinal matches taking place on Rod Laver Arena, the crowds would not miss a beat. As the sun eventually came out, China’s Li Na took the stage as she played Italy’s Flavia Pennetta for a spot in the semifinal.

Having made the semifinals or better in Melbourne for three of the last four years, Li came out with the same accuracy and consistency that saw her rise to world No. 4. The Chinese star was as clean and efficient as she’d been the whole tournament in her 6-2 6-2 dismantling of the popular 28th seed.

In a match that lasted just 67 minutes, Pennetta never looked like challenging the experienced Li as her serve was broken in the first game of the match and twice more in the first set. It was always going to be difficult against the world No. 4 for Pennetta, but she compounded her problems with a 39% first serve percentage and 27 unforced errors. Her opponent pounced on her opportunities, earning 12 break points to conceding just four on her own serve.

Pennetta suggested that she never felt as if she was in the match. “It was perfect for her,” the disappointed Italian conceded. “Since the first ball, I think she play really well today. It was really tough today because I didn't serve well. I tried my best, but she was too good.”

Li was ruthless in routinely dispatching the Italian as she never wavered from her accuracy or her power, hitting 23 winners as she attacked Pennetta’s often frail forehand. Li also made a visible attempt to visit the net more, and her game plan appeared to work as she won seven out of the 10 times she came to the net.

Li suggested that coach Carlos Rodriguez had advised her to use this tactic. “Before the match we talked a lot,” she said. “We prepared for a long time what I should do in the match. I think he saw that I tried to serve-volley. I lose the point, but at least I tried. I think he was happy about that.”

And the world No. 4 credited her dominance to her game plan.  “I spent about one and half days to prepare for this match” she said.  “I know she is a tough opponent because I’ve played her four times… I don't know what happened today.  I tried to prepare for the match long before I came on court.”

Up next was the quarterfinal between Ana Ivanovic and popular Canadian Eugenie Bouchard, one of the more intriguing match-ups of this stage. Having stunned Serena Williams in the fourth round, she was unbeaten this year as she faced the youngster Bouchard, playing her first Australian Open.

The match started with great intensity in groundstrokes as each player attempted to feel the other out. Both of them produced quality tennis before a dip in intensity after the sixth game, when each player appeared nervous and made numerous unforced errors. Showing every bit of her experience gained in her 11th year in the WTA, the 14th-seeded Serb was the first one to rein in her emotions. AN unforced error by Bouchard handed Ivanovic the decisive break in the 11th game before she served out the set.

Despite winning the first set, there was something rather amiss about Ivanovic. As they came to the business end of the set, Ivanovic was pumping her fist and exclaiming her familiar “ajde” after almost every point. It appeared as if she was trying to lift herself emotionally. After serving out the first set, though, Ivanovic appeared to fall flat, and her play reflected this. The aggression that she had used to defeat Williams wavered, and she hung behind the baseline while Bouchard made her move late in the second set.  Once she had turned the tide, the Canadian cruised routinely through the third set and into the semifinals.

Ivanovic had admitted that she was struggling with an injury before the tournament, but it appeared as if she suffered an injury in the opposite leg during this match. She called for an injury time out to have work on her hip after the second set. But Ivanovic put her loss down to not being emotionally ready for the quarterfinal match with Bouchard.

“I’ve had a few very emotional wins, so today I really felt I was a little bit flat,” the disappointed Serb said.  “But it's just another learning experience. Obviously I'm very disappointed to lose in this manner. Even though I didn't play my best, I felt I still had chances. I just didn't quite use them well. I wasn't aggressive enough and had way too many errors. “

However, that should take nothing away from the 30th seed.  Bouchard took her opportunities when they presented themselves, breaking Ivanovic in the 12th game of the second set to force a deciding set. With Ivanovic struggling to get any hip rotation into her groundstrokes, leaving the ball mid-court, the promising Canadian had plenty of options. And she made all the right choices as she hit 14 winners in the final set while breaking twice.

Bouchard said it was her aggressiveness that helped her get into the match after dropping the first set. “(Ivanovic gave me) balls in the middle of the court, so I tried to take my forehand a bit more to control the point” the Canadian said. “Even in the third set, she was still serving really well, trying to go for her shots. It was really a battle of aggression.”

The surprise semifinalist from Canada also said it was important that she stayed calm. “I felt like my game got a bit better as the match went on,” the raw 30th seed admitted. “I feel like in the first set I was close, but I was missing shots just by a little bit, hitting the tape of the net or just a bit out. I felt like my game was there, and I just needed to relax a little bit and play.”

Bouchard will need that relaxed mentality as she approaches her first major semifinal against Li.  The two-time Australian Open finalist will be favored when they meet on Thursday, but Bouchard will be able to swing freely as a dangerous underdog.