This is the first time since Marc Rosset defeated Roger Federer in the 2000 Marseille final that two Swiss players will be meeting in the final of an ATP event.

Roger Federer has defeated Stanislas Wawrinka on 13 of the 14 times that they have met. The sole victory for Wawrinka came in the third round of this very tournament back in 2009. The most recent meeting between these two took place last year in Indian Wells, a match that Federer narrowly escaped 7-5 in the third set.

Federer and Wawrinka came into their semifinal matches as underdogs, and both left as easy winners. Wawrinka brought too much game to the table in his semifinal contest with David Ferrer, while Federer fought through a tight first set with Novak Djokovic before racing through a quick second set. Djokovic’s wrist injury impaired him in the second set and ensured that Federer wouldn’t have to do any overtime to set up the all-Swiss final.

Federer comes out as a slight favorite in this match, although both men have amassed an extremely impressive season. Federer is 6-2 against the top 10 in 2014, and Wawrinka is a perfect 5-0 against the top 10 this year.

Amazingly enough, Federer said that Wawrinka and he would eat dinner together on the eve of the final and would warm up together before the final. This shows how close these two men are and how much they respect each other. But make no mistake about it, it will be an all-out war from first ball to last on Sunday afternoon.

Having won the Australian Open and defeated Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic in the last two majors, Wawrinka should have no concerns regarding belief in this match. He knows he can beat Federer, and Federer knows it too. The old narrative of Federer overshadowing Wawrinka is rapidly dissipating because of Wawrinka’s level of achievement and because he is now ranked higher than Federer. But, if Federer were to win tomorrow, he would usurp Wawrinka at the No. 3 slot in the world rankings.

As far as the tactics of this match goes, expect Wawrinka to engage Federer in as many backhand-to-backhand exchanges as possible and expect Federer to keep himself out of as many of these exchanges as possible. Federer possesses an extremely solid defensive slice backhand, so he should be able to defend against Wawrinka’s cross-court backhand.

Federer’s precise serving should make it tough for Wawrinka to take huge cuts on the ball, thus providing Federer with the offensive initiative on serve. By the same token, Wawrinka’s serve is a force to be reckoned with, and he should be able to set himself up with plenty of offensive opportunities as well.

If Federer can defend his backhand side, he should be able to come through this one. Wawrinka will find it tough to break, and Federer’s flat, aggressive style of play should make it harder for Wawrinka to gain the initiative during protracted baseline rallies.

Prediction: Federer in two sets