Genie Bouchard had just won over the Australian Open crowd, and most of the tennis world, with an efficient, composed three-set win in her first-ever major quarterfinal. The 19-year-old Canadian defeated Ana Ivanovic 5-7, 7-5, 6-2 and didn’t appear at all flustered during the two-hour, 22-minute match. The nervousness and jitters would wait for the post-match interview.

While standing in the center of Rod Laver Arena, Bouchard fielded questions about the match, her surprising run in Melbourne and her legion of fans known as Genie’s Army. Then she got a question about her dream date. Bouchard paused, blushed, paused some more and then blurted out her answer.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WIECc82A7I&w=640&h=360]

Oh, Genie. Genie, Genie, Genie. Things had been going so well too! It was like she aced the match, then double-faulted the interview. Once she revealed her answer, it was hard to tell whether the fans were booing or yelling “Boo-chard.” No, that’s a lie. They were booing, albeit good-naturedly.

Bouchard is a Canadian teenager so liking a maple leaf heartthrob isn’t out of the ordinary, but answers like Ryan Gosling, Sidney Crosby or Alex Trebek would have been far preferable.

The amusing answer wasn’t without some minor controversy however, as some folks on Twitter criticized the original question. They make fair points and I respect all of them but, come on people, let’s loosen up a bit. First, the “would they have asked Nadal?” hypothetical is absurd. Rafael Nadal isn’t a 19-year-old woman, so no. Second, heaven forbid an interviewer tries to get a player to say something interesting and humanizing. It’s not like women’s tennis is surging in popularity around the world. Giving up-and-comers some personality and marketability is necessary, especially with Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova entering the twilights of their careers.

Bouchard will face two-time Australian Open finalist Li Na in a Wednesday semifinal. For her sake, we hope Justin Bieber will be watching.