Roger Federer defeats Jack Sock to advance to Paribas Open final

Roger Federer advanced to the final of the BNP Paribas Open with a 6-1, 7-6(4) victory over top-ranked American Jack Sock on Saturday at Indian Wells Tennis Garden, continuing his remarkable comeback from knee problems that led him to take six months away from competitive tennis.

In Sunday’s final, Federer will face Swiss compatriot Stan Wawrinka, who defeated Pablo Carreño Busta of Spain, 6-3, 6-2, in the first semifinal played Saturday at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The winner will earn $1,175,505.

Federer cruised past Sock, 24, and needed only 21 minutes to break Sock’s serve twice and capture the first set. However, Sock lifted his level of play in the second set, which went according to serve. Federer had a break point in the seventh game but made a long return and hit a backhand just wide, allowing Sock to hold his service.

In the tiebreaker, Sock had a mini-break to go up, 2-1, but Federer got that back when Sock hit a forehand wide on the fifth point. Federer took a 5-4 lead when Sock hit a backhand long and served out the match, to the delight of the crowd at Stadium 1.

“I didn’t think I played my best in the tiebreaker, but it was enough to get through it and I’m super-happy to be in the final,” Federer said in an on-court interview.

Sunday’s match will be Federer’s seventh final in this tournament. He has won it four times, most recently in 2012.

Federer has a 19-3 career edge over Wawrinka in head-to-head competition, including Federer’s five-set victory in the semifinals at the Australian Open earlier this year.