Indian Wells Tennis 2017: Men's Final Schedule and Predictions After Semifinals
It's an all-Swiss final at the 2017 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, as Roger Federer and Stan Wawrinka each prevailed in Saturday's semifinals.
No. 9 seed Federer handled No. 17 seed Jack Sock, while No. 3 seed Wawrinka prevailed against No. 21 seed Pablo Carreno Busta. Federer and Wawrinka will square off for the 23rd time in their careers in Sunday's final.
With that in mind, here is a look at the final schedule, how the two players got there Saturday and a prediction for the upcoming match.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Men's Final Schedule
The schedule information is courtesy of the tournament's official website.
| Sunday, March 19 | No. 3 Stan Wawrinka vs. No. 9 Roger Federer | Not before 1 p.m. | Stadium 1 |
Semifinals Recap
No. 3 Stan Wawrinka Beats No. 21 Pablo Carreno Busta; 6-3, 6-2
Wawrinka had little trouble with Busta and cruised past him in straight sets by dictating terms with his serve.
According to the tournament's official website, Wawrinka won 80 percent of his first-service points compared to 55 percent for Busta. What's more, Wawrinka won 76 percent of his second-service points, so there was little discernible difference even when he didn't convert his firsts.
Fittingly, he won on a service game, as Tennis TV captured:
Wawrinka also consistently put the pressure on Busta and created eight break points, three of which he converted.
That was more than enough considering the way he served.
No. 9 Roger Federer Beats No. 17 Jack Sock; 6-1, 7-6 (4)
Federer didn't cruise quite to the same extent Wawrinka did in Saturday's matches, but he eliminated Sock in straight sets.
It appeared as if Federer would have no trouble when he won the first set in a quick seven games, but Sock forced a tiebreak in the second by remaining on serve. However, he simply didn't have enough to outlast the all-time great down the stretch.
"Overall I played a good match," Federer said, per the BNP Paribas Open. "In the second Jack got into it. I'm super happy to be in the finals."
The difference came down to break points, as the tournament's official website noted Federer won two of three and didn't allow Sock to earn even a single break-point opportunity. That formula will prove critical against Wawrinka considering how effective his serve was against Busta on Saturday.
Final Prediction
According to the ATP World Tour's official website, Federer holds an overwhelming 19-3 advantage in head-to-head meetings with Wawrinka. It is impossible to ignore that type of deficit when projecting the upcoming match, even if Wawrinka is the better seed in Indian Wells.
They played each other in the semifinals of this year's Australian Open, and Federer won in a thrilling five-set match. He won the first two sets, but Wawrinka came roaring back to force a decisive one before the 18-time major champion tapped into some of his all-time greatness with a spot in the final on the line.
That was their only matchup since 2015, but the 35-year-old Federer is also 6-1 in the last seven and has shown few signs of his age this year with the Australian Open title and a spot in the BNP Paribas Open final.
Christopher Clarey of the New York Times pointed to Federer's enormous experience advantage at this stage of tournaments:
Clarey also noted Wawrinka has never defeated Federer on a hard court.
Federer has made a career of coming through on the biggest stages, and he has also had little trouble with Wawrinka throughout his tenure. Much like this year's Australian Open matchup, Wawrinka will remain competitive throughout but will fall just short against the living legend.
Prediction: Federer wins the BNP Paribas Open championship
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
