Rome is one of just two ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles missing from Federer’s collection (Monte-Carlo). The Swiss is making his 15th appearance in the Italian capital and has reached the final here for a fourth time, having also advanced to the title match in 2003 (l. to Mantilla), 2006 (l. to Nadal) and 2013 (l. to Nadal).
"Stan played well in the first set," said Federer. "In the second set he had a sort of breakdown. He wasn’t serving his best. I was definitely able to take advantage of it. He’s got a good opportunity next week (in Geneva). He’s in the right direction and obviously the win against Rafa was massive for him and his confidence. His game is there. I was very happy how I played. I was able to impose my game. I had a sort of breakdown too but I’ll try not to let it happen tomorrow."
A rematch of their epic round-robin encounter at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals last year, Federer extended his FedEx ATP Head2Head lead to 16-2.
Looking to replicate his dominant performance from a quarter-final upset of Rafael Nadal, Wawrinka sprinted to an early 3-0 lead on Sunday at the Foro Italico. The 30 year old dropped a mere four points in breaking his friend and rival in the second game and consolidating.
As was the key to success against Nadal, Wawrinka stepped into his shots from the baseline, taking his backhand early and not allowing Federer to find a rhythm off the ground. But the World No. 2 would have an immediate authoritative response, breaking back to 15 and pulling level at 3-all.
Federer maintained a swift response to Wawrinka's initial run, reeling off six of seven games to snatch the opening set. He would secure a second break for 5-4 behind a stunning backhand winner that clipped the far edge of the tramline.
With Wawrinka's quick start far in the rear-view mirror, Federer relinquished just six points in grabbing a 5-1 lead in the second set and the three-time finalist would claim victory in 55 minutes. The second seed reached his 41st ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and 129th overall, where he will face top seed Novak Djokovic.
"I feel like I have a chance to play well for sure," added Federer. "Novak is not Rafa on clay, so it’s a different situation. I’ve done fairly well in the past against him. We played here twice before and I lost both times so it's up to me to put in a good performance."
It will be the 39th meeting between the two rivals. Only Djokovic and Rafael Nadal have battled more in the Open Era.
Most Meetings In Open Era
Rivalry
Encounters
Novak Djokovic vs. Rafael Nadal
43
Novak Djokovic vs. Roger Federer
38
Ivan Lendl vs. John McEnroe
36
Ivan Lendl vs. Jimmy Connors 35
Boris Becker vs. Stefan Edberg 35
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