Sunday's final will mark the 38th meeting between the World No. 1 and No. 2. Federer faced Djokovic in last year's final, but lost in three sets.
Raonic was first tested on his serve in the fifth game when Federer earned a break point. But the Canadian promptly saved it with a 138mph ace, and eventually went on to hold. Federer later broke for a 6-5 lead when Raonic hit a backhand long. The Swiss went on to win the first set in 45 minutes.
With Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale and Wayne Gretzky in the crowd, Federer opened the second set with a break and consolidated for a 2-0 lead. The second seed continued to be untroubled, despite enduring nine aces from his opponent, as he saved the only break point he faced to clinch the victory in 86 minutes.
"I'm very happy with how well I'm playing," said Federer. "I feel good physically. I feel refreshed after the holiday. I'm serving well, which is always crucial."
"I felt good. I felt energetic. I felt like I had the right attitude put forward, and I was going to give it my all,” said Raonic. “I thought a few points here and there made a difference. I tried to put everything out there that I could, and the outcome was as is.”
With the win, Federer reached his 40th ATP World Tour Masters 1000 final. He is on a 19-set win streak, dating back since the beginning of Dubai.
In his 15th appearance in Indian Wells, the 33-year-old Swiss is looking to win his fifth title at this ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournament. Federer was a champion here in 2004 (d. Henman), 2005 (d. Hewitt), 2006 (d. Blake) and 2012 (d. Isner). With his fourth-round victory over Jack Sock in the Round of 16, Federer became the first player to achieve 50 match wins in the desert.
Date: 22nd March 2015, Source: ATP
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