Roger Federer Cruises Past Stanislas Wawrinka in Straight Sets at Indian Wells

Hours after top-seeded Novak Djokovic was stunningly ousted, Roger Federer needed barely an hour to defeat Stanislas Wawrinka and present himself as a top contender to win the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden in California on Tuesday night.

Fourth-seeded Federer bested Wawrinka in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4. The 37-year-old jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the first set in just 22 minutes and ultimately improved to 17-0 against Wawrinka on a hard court. 

Heading into Tuesday night's match, nobody had won more matches at Indian Wells than Federer. His defeat of Wawrinka and 64th victory at Indian Wells overall only emphasizes that dominance.

Per ATP Tour, Federer said, "It's been a dream to make my hobby my career." He played like he was simply enjoying a hobby against Wawrinka. Unfortunately for Wawrinka, that has become habit for Federer when these two face off, as Tuesday night's win made Federer 22-3 lifetime against Wawrinka.

Wawrinka did show some signs of life Tuesday night in the second set, but his most impressive series came with Federer already leading 4-2. Too little, too late. 

A performance like this would put Federer as the tournament's favorite if not for No. 2 Rafael Nadal. Head-to-head, Nadal owns a 23-15 record over Federer. The last time Federer claimed a title at Indian Wells was in 2017 when he defeated Wawrinka, also in straight sets. But before that, he ousted Nadal in the round of 16.

Federer lost in the finals last year to Juan Martin del Potro. However, if he plays as he did against Wawrinka, he has an excellent chance at breaking his tie with Djokovic for the most titles at this event.

He has won it all at Indian Wells fives times in his career. Next on his road to a sixth is No. 22 Kyle Edmund.