Dominic Thiem has overpowered Roger Federer to claim the biggest title of his career and deny the Swiss ace a record sixth ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells.

Austrian seventh seed Thiem dropped the first set but found his rhythm as the match progressed to secure a 3-6 6-3 7-5 victory – his first over Federer on a hardcourt.

Federer raced into a 4-1 lead and despite being broken back the 37-year-old sealed a second break to secure the first set after a successful service game.

The 25-year-old Thiem reversed the 4-1 scoreline in the second set before he evened up the match to force the deciding set.

In his third Masters 1000 final, Thiem’s confidence increased and he raised his level to outplay Federer when it mattered most to win his 12th ATP crown.

He denied the 20-time grand slam champion on nine of 11 break-point chances and a forehand winner gave Thiem the opportunity to serve for the title at 6-5 in the final set.

Thiem made no mistake as he closed out the match in a tick over two hours with an error from Federer, a forehand dumped into the net.

Federer was in the final for the third-straight year and lost for the second year in a row. He was beaten in a third-set tiebreaker by Juan Martin del Potro in 2018.

Thiem and Federer had split their four previous meetings.