Federer cruises to 1/4 finals

After a hard fought match against Janko Tipsarevic in the third round of the Australian Open, Roger Federer (seeded 1) eased through to the quarter finals after beating Tomas Berdych (13) in three strait sets, 6-4, 7-6 (9-7), 6-3, in the fourth round.

To Federer the relatively quick match must have been a relief after the five sets against Tipsarevic, and Federer will have restored most of his strength again in time to face James Blake (12), the american, who disposed of the Croat Marin Cilic in three sets.

For the first time in many months, Federer is under pressure to keep his status as world number one, and if he does not reach the semi finals, Nadal could overtake him by winning the tournament, and therefore the Swiss will see to it that Blake’s adventure ends as quickly as possible. The ultimate tennis star of the recent 5 years usually responds well to pressure, and it will take a major effort by Blake to beat Federer. The winner of their quarter final will be looking to play either Novak Djokovic or David Ferrer, who battle it out for the second spot in that semi final.

Leon Andreasen to Fulham

Today it has been announced that Danish International Leon Andreasen, 24, has signed for Fulham. According to various news papers, the price for the talented Dane is £3 mil, which is three times as much as Werder Bremen paid for his sevices two and a half years ago, when he arrived from highly regarded Danish club Aarhus Gymnastik Forening (AGF), where he was their most praised asset and a result of the club’s highly regarded youth academy.

Leon Andreasen will be joining Fulham, who are currently struggling to find a way out of the dreadful land of relegation. With a number of poor results and the upcoming match home against the current first runners up for the title, Arsenal, Fulham’s season looks to be in dire straits, which appears to be the reason for Fulham’s activity in the ongoing transfer window. Usually January is a window of opportunity mostly for the smaller clubs, because “the big 4″ can rarely find names big enough, who are not cup-tied at this point of the season. Of course Chelsea and Liverpool, in their panic like attempt to remain challengers for the title, are on course to prove this theory wrong, but overall the tendency is clear, and Fulham have followed it quite well with a number of signings already. In addition to  Leon Andreasen, Fulham have also today recruited the services of Brede Hangeland, 26, from FC Copenhagen (fee undiscl.). The Norwegian defender is brought in to bolster a defense that has looked a mess all season.