Indian Wells roundup: Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka to renew Swiss rivalry in the final

From 96 players, they were then whittled down to two. The 2017 BNP Paribas Open brought with it a lot of riotousness, starting with the composition of a lopsided draw. And it’s from this imbalanced grouping that two unexpected finalists – Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka – have emerged to make the American tournament a give-it-all fight between two countrymen.

Here’s a look at each player’s progression into the final:

Another show of mastery from Roger Federer

Swiss No 2 Federer went from strength-to-strength in his 6-1, 7-6(4) win over Jack Sock on Saturday.

The four-time former champion was swift in getting two breaks on the 17th seed’s serve in the first set to secure it in the seventh game and race to a one set lead in the match. The American paced his game better in the second set and even saved the single break point that came about on his serve. In the ensuing second set tie-break, though the 22-year-old got a mini break at 3-1, Federer upped his game to win the next six points and claim a place in his seventh Indian Wells final.

Describing his game-plan in his post-match media interaction, Federer said, “I think I’ve just been very focused. That’s something that usually goes away when don’t play for a while. But I guess I have a lot of confidence from Australia, still.”

Federer didn’t face a single break point in the match, and he is still the only player who hasn’t been broken in the course of the five matches played in the tournament. Against Wawrinka, his Davis Cup teammate and occasional doubles partner, Federer has a 19-3 record. However, Federer lost their only matchup in an ATP Masters 1000 final, at the 2014 Monte Carlo Masters.

Stan Wawrinka’s first Indian Wells final

Earlier on the same day, Wawrinka defeated 21st seed Pablo Carreno Busta in straight sets 6-3, 6-2 in 64 minutes to reach his first final at Indian Wells, and fourth final in an ATP Masters 1000.

The World No 3 took the opening set in the ninth game after consolidating the break on Carreno Busta’s serve that he he had secured in the immediately preceding game. In the second set, two consecutive breaks on the Spaniard’s serve in the third and fifth game saw Wawrinka serve out the match in the eighth game of the set.

Following the win, Wawrinka said, “I know when I start to win matches in the tournament, I start to get confidence, the good feeling with the ball, with the way I’m playing in the tournament. I know I [am] playing better and better. I am really happy with the way I’m playing, and I’m really enjoying to be here and playing a final tomorrow.”

Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram win men’s doubles title

Sixth seeds Raven Klaasen and Rajeev Ram won the men’s doubles title at Indian Wells on Saturday defeating eighth seeds Lukasz Kubot and Marcelo Melo. The South African-American team won 6-7(1), 6-4, 10-8 in an hour and 46 minutes.

The first set featured no breaks of serve, though both teams had multiple break point opportunities. In the tie-break, Kubot and Melo routed their higher ranked opponents, and dropped just one point to go ahead in the match. Both teams exchanged a service break in the second set before Klaasen and Ram pipped Kubot and Melo with a second service break to win the second set and keep them in the hunt for their first ATP Masters title as a team. It was quite a tight match tie-break that followed, with Klaasen and Ram outlasting their opponents right towards the end.

Yung-Jan Chan and Martina Hingis win women’s doubles crown

Sixth seeds Yung-Jan Chan and Martina Hingis emerged as the women’s doubles champions on Saturday as well. Chan and Hingis defeated the unseeded Czech team of Lucie Hradecka and Katerina Siniakova in straight sets 7-6(4), 6-2 in 90 minutes. It was the duo’s first WTA title since they teamed up at the Doha Open.