By Daily Sports on March 20, 2017

Roger Federer has won his fifth BNP Paribas Open title, defeating close friend and compatriot, Stan Wawrinka 6-4, 7-5 on a sunny afternoon in Indian Wells.

It was Federer’s 90th tour-level crown and 25th in ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

He has also tied Novak Djokovic for the most titles in the California desert with five.

Wawrinka, meanwhile, was looking to lift his second title at the Masters 1000 level following his win over Federer in Monte-Carlo three years ago.

But Federer denied him and extended his overall lead in their FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry by a 20-3 margin.

In the first final of the day, Russia’s Elena Vesnina staged a remarkable comeback to beat fellow Russian, Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-7 (6-8) 7-5 6-4.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that eighth seed Kuznetsova edged Vesnina in a marathon first set lasting 71 minutes by winning a tie-break at Indian Wells.

Vesnina, the 14th seed, trailed 4-1 in the second set before winning four games in a row to force a deciding set.

She trailed 4-2 in that set but again won four successive games to win a match lasting just over three hours.

Vesnina, 30, was playing in her first final at a ‘Premier Mandatory’ event – those at Indian Wells, Key Biscayne, Madrid, and Beijing.

Kuznetsova, runner-up in 2007 and 2008, has now lost three finals at Indian Wells. (NAN)

•Photo shows Roger Federer.

Source Daily Sports

Posted March 20, 2017

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