INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- The BNP Paribas Open is down to its Final Four. For two women, this is well-tread ground. For the other two, uncharted territory. 

Who will punch their ticket into championship Sunday?

World No.1 Iga Swiatek knows what it feels like to lift the Baccarat trophy in Indian Wells. Her vanquished opponent that day in 2022? No.9 Maria Sakkari. The two have been the most dominant forces in Indian Wells the past three years. Each are set to play their third straight semifinals in the desert.

In contrast, No.3 and US Open champion Coco Gauff, 20, and No.32 Marta Kostyuk, 21, have gone deeper than they ever have here. 

Here's a closer look at the semifinal matchups, which will kick off at 4 p.m. PT.

[1] Iga Swiatek vs. [31] Marta Kostyuk

The case for Swiatek

Swiatek's consistent success in the California desert further proves that Indian Wells is the clay-courter's hard court. Into her third straight semifinal here, the 22-year-old hasn't come close to losing a set. She's now 68-0 at WTA 1000 tournaments when she wins the first set.

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Her set scores this week? 6-3, 6-0, 6-4, 6-0, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, 1-0, with that last one coming by Caroline Wozniacki's retirement in the quarterfinals. It's the fewest number of games dropped by a player en route to the semifinals since Jelena Jankovic in 2008. And she's won at least six consecutive games in every match she's played. 

Not much has bothered Swiatek this year and she's been playing her tennis with incredible clarity. She's handled the big hitters like Danielle Collins and Linda Noskova, both of whom took her to three sets at the Australian Open -- and Noskova knocking her out -- and she's managed the grinders as well, with wins over Yulia Putintseva and Wozniacki.

That's the perfect preparation for Kostyuk, who has the court craft and weapons to do both. Swiatek is 1-0 against the Ukrainian. This is their first meeting on hard court. 

A win would be Swiatek's 19th win of the year, which would be the most on tour, and put her into a 10th WTA 1000 final. She would become the first player to reach 10 WTA 1000 finals before the age of 23 since the format was introduced in 2009. 

The case for Kostyuk

Despite her strong results this season -- Australian Open quarterfinalist, San Diego finalist, Adelaide quarterfinalist -- Kostyuk still can't believe she's made her first WTA 1000 semifinal this week. She was sick during the Middle East swing and came up short in an emotional and grueling week in San Diego. She's happy she can still surprise herself.

"When you are consistently a Top 5 player, you are not as surprised with your results," Kostyuk told reporters after defeating Anastasia Potapova in the quarterfinals. "But honestly, for me, the person who is competing and trying to achieve something, there are a lot of things that have to align in order for you to succeed, and there are not many people in the world who are better than me in my job.

"I never take it for granted because you might not have it tomorrow. I'm taking every chance. Obviously, things are aligning now. You need to fight every day for them to keep on aligning."

Kostyuk and Swiatek played for the first time at the 2021 French Open. Swiatek won 6-3, 6-4 in the Round of 16. The two practiced together just last month in Doha. As she recalled that practice session, Kostyuk broke out into a grin.

"I was really looking forward to actually play her in a match," she said. "I think it will be a great match." 

One stat going for Kostyuk: After winning her first six WTA 1000 semifinals, Swiatek has lost four of her last six WTA 1000 semifinals. The most recent loss came last month in Dubai, where she was upended by Anna Kalinskaya in straight sets.

[3] Coco Gauff vs. [9] Maria Sakkari

The case for Gauff

The most important lesson Gauff took on in her late teens was that she didn't have to play at her best to win tennis matches. You don't get extra credit or demerits based on a performance's quality. She'll be the first to admit that she won her maiden major without her A-game. 

"I think for me, the difference is that I know if one part of my game is off, I have a lot of other tools I can rely on," Gauff said.

The newly turned 20-year-old does not panic when her game isn't firing on all cylinders. Aside from her 6-0, 6-2 win over Elise Mertens in the Round of 16, Gauff has had to scrap through some tough performances over the last two months.

As a result, she's an outstanding 16-3 on the season. In January she made her first Australian Open semifinal. Now she's into her first Indian Wells semifinal. 

With an eye toward making the second WTA 1000 final of her career, Gauff will face down Sakkari for the eighth time in their careers. Sakkari leads the head-to-head series 4-3, but Gauff has won the past four sets they've played, all of which came last year. 

One stat of note: Sakkari has lost her last five meetings against Top 10 opponents. 

The case for Sakkari

What a difference a desert makes. In the Middle East, slumping and stagnant, Sakkari, 28, parted ways with her longtime coach and friend Tom Hill. In Indian Wells she picked up David Witt, longtime coach to Jessica Pegula and Venus Williams. While no one believes any massive changes can be made in the span of a week, the change has sparked a surge. 

Since going 3-0 at the United Cup, Sakkari did not win back-to-back matches until Indian Wells. When it came to three-set matches, she had been dire, losing four of her last five dating back to last summer. 

But back in the comfortable confines of the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, she has won three of her four matches in three sets. She credits Witt's laid-back energy and sense of humor for bringing levity to her daily routines. His concise scouting reports have also given her clarity in matches. She says her three-set win over Emma Navarro in the quarterfinals was her best performance in months.

"Probably last time I played a match at that level was Washington against Jess [Pegula], so it's been a while," Sakkari said. "I'm just very happy that I'm finding form again and finding myself again."

Against Gauff, Sakkari has the edge in the head-to-head (4-3) and experience. A win would put her into a fourth WTA 1000 final. 

"When you play Coco, you have to accept that she's going to get two, three more balls than anyone else," Sakkari said. "You just have to be patient. That's what I did today in order to win today's match (vs. Navarro). I just feel that's my mindset going into tomorrow's match against her.

"It's nice to have girls that are actually athletic and fit. Then you feel like, Okay, it's time to challenge myself and play against someone who is equally as fit as I am."