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Stan Wawrinka advances to BNP Paribas Open men’s final

Stan Wawrinka prepares to hit a backhand return during his match against Pablo Carreño Busta on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open.
(Paul Buck / EPA)
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Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland advanced to the final of the BNP Paribas Open for the first time with a methodical 6-3, 6-2 semifinal victory over Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain on Saturday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden.

Wawrinka’s opponent in Sunday’s final will be the winner of Saturday’s second final between heavily favored Roger Federer and Jack Sock of the U.S.

Wawrinka, the No. 3 seed, faced no break points Saturday and broke his opponent’s serve three times. The match took just over 64 minutes at Stadium 1.

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“I’m really, really happy to get through to the final for the first time,” Wawrinka said in an on-court interview. “This year I was fighting and trying to be positive.”

He said he planned to watch Federer, seeded No. 9, play Sock, the top-ranked American in the world at No. 18, and not only to scout his possible next opponent. “It’s going to be a great match, for sure,” Wawrinka said.

Wawrinka and Federer have played each other 22 times, with Federer holding a 19-3 edge.

Federer has won their last three matches and six of the last seven, with the most recent coming in the semifinals of the Australian Open. Federer won that match in five sets.

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