Stan Wawrinka: recapping his 2017 ATP World Tour through Indian Wells

Mar 18, 2017; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Stan Wawrinka (SUI) pumps his fist after defeating Pablo Carreno Busta (not pictured) in his semi-final in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2017; Indian Wells, CA, USA; Stan Wawrinka (SUI) pumps his fist after defeating Pablo Carreno Busta (not pictured) in his semi-final in the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports /
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Stan Wawrinka fell short in the finals at the 2017 Indian Wells Masters. He remains, however, the world No. 3 in men’s singles tennis.

Stan Wawrinka has seen a largely successful start to his 2017 ATP World Tour.

Through the Indian Wells Masters, the Swiss tennis player is 12-4 in singles action. Two of those four losses have come at the hands of friend and fellow countryman Roger Federer.

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After a finals loss at Indian Wells to Federer, let’s look at how Wawrinka has done up until this point.

Wawrinka’s other 2017 loss to Federer came at the Australian Open in late January. The two met in a semifinals match just after Wawrinka had defeated Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in straight sets to advance.

The match against Federer at Melbourne Park was a heartbreaker. Despite the hard fought battle, Wawrinka fell to the eventual Grand Slam champion in five sets. Still, Melbourne Park was a fantastic run of tennis for the world No. 3.

Before the Australian Open, Wawrinka had played in the Brisbane International.

Advancing to a semifinals match against Kei Nishikori, the Swiss player saw his first loss on the year. The loss to Nishikori came after a first set tiebreak in favor of the Japanese player. Of Wawrinka’s four losses on the year, three have come against now top 10 players. His only shocking loss thus far came against Damir Dzumhur in his opening round match at the Dubai Tennis Championships.

Stan Wawrinka remains on the verge of greatness.

The current world No. 3 has shown his ability to contend with and defeat top singles players. In his route to the finals at Indian Wells, he also defeated top player Dominic Thiem. Looking at Wawrinka’s last three years, he has a singles Grand Slam in each of them.

Look for Wawrinka to remain atop the rankings in 2017. He will continue to put pressure on Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic and will be someone to watch in the upcoming majors.

Next: 10 Best Men's Players in Open Era

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