There is no doubt that Juan Martin del Potro will savour this victory for a long time.
In the storied history of Argentine tennis, only two players have cemented themselves in the '400 Wins Club': Guillermo Vilas and now Del Potro. The Tandil native etched his name in the record books with a comprehensive 6-2, 6-3 victory over Milos Raonic on Saturday at the BNP Paribas Open.
Vilas leads all players from Argentina with 929 victories, but the legend now has some company in the exclusive club. After battling from a set down for a pair of deciding-set victories in the fourth round (d. Mayer) and quarter-finals (d. Kohlschreiber), Del Potro was in no mood for a marathon semi-final. The sixth seed dismissed Raonic in just 65 minutes on Stadium 1, converting four of five break chances and striking 15 winners.
"It was surprising to see him serving not too hard, and I broke his serve very quick in both sets. That give me the control of the match," said Del Potro. "I played a smart match, because the conditions were tough to play in. I served well. I took all my chances. It was an easier match than what I expected."
Del Potro reached his fourth ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final and the 32nd at the tour-level in his career. The 29-year-old's run to the championship, where he will face Roger Federer, is yet another signal of his return to top form. Back in the Top 10 at World No. 8, Del Potro will appear in his first Masters 1000 title match since 2013.
Saturday's second semi-final was a tour de force from start to finish for Del Potro. The Argentine won 24 of 27 points on his first serve and did not face a break point throughout the encounter.
Seemingly rattled by the windy conditions, Raonic was victimised by a poor serving display and short forehands that kicked right into Del Potro's strike zone. The Canadian's rhythm and movement were also thrown off, winning just eight of 23 net points, compared to a perfect five-for-five for his Argentine opponent.
"I was trying to find a groove, but when you haven't played for a while, you already are overthinking a lot of things," said Raonic. "And then, with the wind, you're not sure. You don't have that calm and ease about going through things and figuring things out on the fly.
"I have always actually been okay playing in the wind because most guys, they tend to slow down their shots when it gets windy. It gives me a lot more short balls that I can come forward on and put pressure on.
"But it depends on game styles. If a guy is ready to move his feet a lot and is sharp with his footwork especially, he's going to do generally well in the wind... He struck the ball well. I just didn't do what I needed to do."
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Del Potro will once again have a shot at his maiden Masters 1000 crown, seeking his first victory over Federer since last year's US Open quarter-finals. He previously fell to Andy Murray in the Montreal final in 2009, Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells in 2013 and to Novak Djokovic in Shanghai later that year.
Overall, Federer leads the FedEx ATP Head2Head rivalry by a count of 18-6, most recently notching a pair of comeback wins in 2017 Rolex Shanghai Masters semis and Swiss Indoors Basel final. He captured their lone encounter in Indian Wells, earning a 6-3, 6-2 triumph in the 2012 quarter-finals.
