Roger Federer has qualified for the final of the Indian Wells Masters with a comfortable 6-3 6-1 victory over Alexandr Dolgopolov.
Both players held on to their own serve with minimum fuss in the opening stages of the first set, but it was Federer who made the crucial breakthrough in the eighth game as he won against serve to take control.
The world number eight then served out the final game to clinch the opening set 6-3, doing so without allowing Dolgopolov as much as a break point.
Federer made a perfect start to the second set too, breaking the Ukrainian in the very first game to move into a commanding position in the match.
A mammoth fifth game proved to be a pivotal moment in the encounter as the Swiss eventually broke again at the fifth time of asking to take a 4-1 lead in the second set.
He then held on to his own serve before finishing the match in style, winning the final game to love to book his place in the final, where he will face either Novak Djokovic or John Isner.
Barney Corkhill
