All-Swiss final set for Indian Wells with Federer and Wawrinka

It will be an all-Swiss final at Indian Wells, with first Stan Wawrinka and then Roger Federer both besting their opponents on Saturday to book their spots in the Masters 1000 final on Sunday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

In their third meeting, 31 year-old Wawrinka defeated Carreno Busta 6-3, 6-2 by converting break point chances when he it counted and demonstrating dominant form.

“It’s an amazing result to be in the final here, especially in Indian Wells, one of the best Masters 1000,” Wawrinka said in his post-match interview. “I am really happy with the way I’m playing.”

The Swiss professional will be facing his compatriot and friend, Roger Federer, who owns a 19-3 head-to-head advantage over his younger competitor. All of Wawrinka’s wins have been on clay, with the 18-time grand slam champion beating his doubles partner from the 2008 Beijing games at all 14 hard court matches they’ve played, the same surface at Indian Wells.

The 9^th seed has also had an easier time at the PNB Paribas tournament, having not lost a set yet. The closest he’s come was having to maybe break a sweat in the second set tie break win over Jack Sock in the semis on Saturday. Ultimately he won in straight sets, a 6-1 thrashing of a first, and then 7-6(4) in the second. In contrast, the third seed has faced two third set tie breaks, in his last three matches.

However, that doesn’t mean Sunday’s matchup will be easy. Both men know each other’s game well. They’ve played together in both doubles and as Davis Cup teammates. A three-time grand slam champion himself, Stan Wawarinka has pulled out major wins when everyone least expected it, including last year’s US Open four setter against Novak Djokovic. We all know that as soon as that finger points to his temple, he’s in the zone for the win. Also, the US Open title was on the very same surface he’ll be fighting on tomorrow. Wawrinka is a warrior and Federer knows this.

“Stan is going to be very different from Jack,” Federer said post-match on Saturday. “He doesn’t hit with much spin. He blocks first serves. He can play from deep or from on the baseline.”

Although Federer beat him in the Australian Open semifinal, he had to go to five sets and it wasn’t easy. He knows that “Stan the Man” will be a formidable opponent in the final.

“I know the danger,” Federer said after his semi-final match against Jack Sock.

Odds are that the 35 year-old world No. 10 will win his 25^th masters 1000 title, third behind Novak Djokovic (30) and Rafael Nadal (28). But Wawrinka’s mental toughness can never be underestimated, as both Djokovic and Nadal have found out in grand slam finals. The “Stanimal” achieved his first GS at the hands of Rafa in the 2014 Australian Open final, and he defeated “Nole” in the past two years, at the 2015 French Open, and last year’s US Open. Two of his slam titles were won on hard courts. He retains the same number of GS titles as the current world No. 1, Andy Murray.

Federer is in the midst of an incredible streak that has seen him turn his liability backhand into a formidable weapon and is still riding the confident boost from his record 18^th title, won in Melbourne two months ago. If he wins on Sunday, he will equal Djokovic’s title count at Indian Wells with five wins. However, if he hands his compatriot his second Masters 1000 title, he can spend some time perfecting his karaoke skills with his boy band members Tommy Haas and Grigor Dimitrov.

https://twitter.com/rogerfederer/status/842807550223548416

Who knows? If they accept Vasek Pospisil’s offer to join, they could become The Beatles of tennis?

The finals for both the men and women will be broadcast on ESPN Sunday, beginning at 2:00 p.m., EST.