Roger Federer Downs Stan Wawrinka At BNP Paribas Open For Fifth Indian Wells Title

Roger Federer defeated fellow Swiss Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 in the BNP Paribas Open in California on Sunday to claim his fifth Indian Wells title.

Roger Federer Wins BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Masters

World no. 10 Federer, the 2017 Australian Open champion and an 18-time Grand Slam winner, was broken for the first time at Indian Wells in the first game of the second set.

Wawrinka, the World no. three, got ahead 2-0 before Federer won three straight games to secure his trophy, his 90th career title.

Federer, 35 is now the oldest champion in the tournament’s history, surpassing Jimmy Connors, who was 31 when he triumphed in 1984. He has defeated Wawrinka 20 times out of 23 meetings.

“This has been a fairy tale week,” said Federer. “It’s a beautiful feeling. Maybe it’s not as surprising as Australia but it’s still great to back it up by winning in America.

“It’s a dream start to the year. I have totally exceeded my expectations. It’s been an unbelievable start to the year.”

On the women’s side, 14th-seeded Russian Elena Vesnina claimed the title after beating her eight-seeded compatriot Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-4 in Sunday’s final.

The first set alone lasted 71 minutes, and Kuznetsova won it via a tiebreaker.

Vesnina trailed 4-1 in the second set before winning four consecutive games to force a deciding set.

She trailed 4-2 in that set but again won four straight games to secure her victory. Vesnina, 30, was playing in her first final at a ‘Premier Mandatory’ event— those at Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Madrid and Beijing.

Kuznetsova has now lost three finals at Indian Wells, having also finished second in 2007 and 2008.

INDIAN WELLS, CA – MARCH 19: Roger Federer of Switzerland hits a forehand against Stanislas Wawrinka of Switzerland in the men’s final during day fourteen of the BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 19, 2017 in Indian Wells, California.(Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)