Final won't be a Swiss stroll for Federer

Men's final
Sky Sports 1, 8pm Sunday

Australian Open champion Roger Federer tackles Stan Wawrinka in an all-Swiss encounter at Indian Wells and the 18-time Grand Slam winner is a red-hot favourite to clinch the title for a fifth time.

Federer, at 35, has found a new lease of life and goes into his seventh Indian Wells final without having dropped a set or even lost his serve in the 2017 tournament.

Federer required just 21 minutes to wrap up the first set in his semi-final victory over Jack Sock before capitalising on a number of unforced errors from the American in the second-set tie-break to confirm the Wawrinka showdown.

The veteran has looked sharp throughout the tournament, highlighted by his emphatic 6-2 6-3 win over Rafael Nadal - his Australian Open final victim - in the second round and a reproduction of that effort should be enough to secure some more silverware.

However, Wawrinka, who is making his first final appearance at Indian Wells, will be desperate to gain some revenge after going down in a deciding set in Melbourne.

Wawrinka threw everything at Federer in his Australian Open semi-final defeat and it’s that fight and never-say-die attitude that should help him stay competitive tonight.

The world number three arrives after resounding wins over Dominic Thiem and Pablo Carreno Busta and will relish meeting his good friend Federer.

However, the Swiss duo have done battle 22 times with Wawrinka winning just three times, and never on a hard court.

With that in mind, Federer to win the match and both players to take a set appeals.

Federer has found the will to win but Wawrinka is unlikely to throw in the towel and the match has the makings of a thriller.

Recommendation
R Federer to win 2-1
1pt 3-1 Betway