Tennis: Stanislas Wawrinka wins first ATP Masters title

Stanislas Wawrinka won his first Masters 1000 title as he clinched a three-set final win over fellow Swiss Roger Federer in Monte Carlo. Wawrinka, aged 29, won 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-2, his second win in 15 matches against Federer. Wawrinka rallied after dropping the first set, clinched the second on a tie-break and then was unstoppable in the decider. The win keeps Wawrinka at number three in the world rankings behind Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. "I can see that when mentally I'm there and I'm fighting, I can beat all the players," said Wawrinka. "I did an amazing job. I'm really happy after winning my first Grand Slam to win a Masters 1000 so quick. I didn't expect to." Wawrinka is only the third winner in the last 37 Masters events outside the 'Big Four' of Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Andy Murray. "It's always special to play Roger," added Wawrinka. "We know it's always a strange match, especially being in the final here. He's my best friend on the tour. We respect each other so much. I'm just trying on the court to win the match. Before and after, we are still very good friends." Federer said: "I think it's one of the those finals that I could have won but Stan was tougher at the end. I think he deserved it just a little bit more. Of course, I'm very happy for Stan. It's a huge win for him after winning his first Grand Slam this year, also to win his first Masters 1000. To take the opportunities when they're there, that's key in a tennis player's career." The success in Monte Carlo shows that Wawrinka is in great form ahead of the second Grand Slam tournament of the year, the French Open at Roland Garros. The Swiss grabbed the first Grand Slam title of his career in January at the Australian Open so he will be looking to make the double in Paris. Here are the outright Roland Garros odds at Bet365: Rafael Nadal - 8/11 Novak Djokovic - 13/8 Stanislas Wawrinka - 8/1 Roger Federer - 10/1 David Ferrer - 18/1