Wawrinka Overcomes Fellow Countryman Federer in All-Swiss Monte Carlo Finals

Stanislas Wawrinka captured his first ever Masters event on Sunday by defeating his fellow Switzerland-native Roger Federer 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-2 in the Monte Carlo Masters final. The Australian Open champion came from behind to win the final two sets to win his first event since winning the Grand Slam event down under back in January. Wawrinka battled back after dropping the first set as he lead 3-2 in the second before rain forced the match to be delayed briefly.

Following the delay, Federer rallied and even the set at three as the two players went back and forth to an eventual tie-break. Wawrinka used effective play at the back of the court to hold off some deep drives by Federer, and led 6-3 in the tie-break. He would then slam home an overhand smash that clinched the set, and forced a third-set tie break for the championship.

With momentum swinging on Stan the Man’s side, he immediately broke Federer’s serve with aggressive play at the net to give himself the early lead. As was the case all afternoon, Wawrinka used an incredibly effective backhand to stifle Federer’s serves. He rushed out to a 4-0 lead in the third set and never looked back as the energy levels of both opponents headed in opposite directions.

Wawrinka would eventually win the third set 6-2, and clinched his seventh career title. He is now ranked number three in the world, his highest positioning since he won the Australian Open.

"I can see that when mentally I'm there and I'm fighting, I can play tennis, I can beat all the player," said Wawrinka. "I did an amazing job. I'm really happy after winning my first Grand Slam to win a Masters 1000 so quick. I didn't expect to. When I came here, for me it was more like a test. I knew I was playing good tennis, but I didn't expect to win because the draw was so strong."

This year alone, the Swiss-native has already beaten Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer, proving that the 29-year old belongs with the best that the tennis world has to offer. It was the first time in 37 ATP Masters 1000 tournaments that a member of the Big Four (Nadal, Federer, Djokovic, Murray) did not raise the trophy.