It is down to the final four at Indian Wells, and there has been plenty of exciting tennis and stunning results on the journey to this point.  In the women's event, the focus has primarily been on Serena Williams.  Williams has historically grabbed many headlines over the course of her career, but the spotlight has shined even more intensely on the American here at the BNP Paribas Open, since it marks her return to Indian Wells after a 14-year absence.  By contrast, very little attention has been paid to her semifinal opponent, Simona Halep.  The Romanian will be aiming to change all of that, however, by notching a second victory over the current world No. 1.

While still by no means a household name, it is a bit surprising that Halep has come into this event relatively under the radar.  She is presently ranked No. 3 and has put together a good start to 2015.  She bagged two titles this season with her runs in Shenzhen and Dubai, and she logged a quarterfinal showing at the Australian Open.  She has continued her fine form here in the desert to match her semifinal result of a year ago and will be keen to go one round further for a spot in the championship match.

While continuing to compile wins and competing for a spot in the final of a Premier event are often incentive enough, Halep is also drawing inspiration from two other sources.  The first stems from a personal tragedy that has likely made these past two weeks even more emotional for her than for Williams.  Days prior to the beginning of the tournament, Halep learned that her cousin, Nicica Arghir, had been found dead in his home as an apparent suicide.  The Romanian opted to remain and compete at Indian Wells, though, stating she felt it would help her better cope with the loss of her cousin, who like her, loved the game of tennis.  She dedicated her first victory here to him and might be looking for the opportunity to dedicate this title in his memory.

The second source of inspiration is not nearly as heart-wrenching but possibly no less of a motivating factor.  It comes from her loss to Ekaterina Makarova at the Australian Open.  Losses, particularly those that come towards the end of a major, always sting, but it was the manner in which she succumbed to that defeat that has really struck in Halep's craw.  The Romanian admitted that she was upset with herself for prematurely throwing in the towel and vowed that that would be the last match in which she would not fight until the last ball had been struck.  She has been true to that sentiment thus far, successfully bouncing back on more than one occasion this tournament, and there is no reason to suspect that she will not bring that same fighting spirit when she takes to the court Friday against Williams.

Halep will definitely need to be prepared to fight to the bitter end, too, since her record against Williams does not exactly inspire hope for her chances of walking away with a victory against the American.  She has lost to Williams on four of the five occasions on which they have met, and only one of those four losses was even remotely close.  That being said, Halep did secure an emphatic win over a sub-par Williams in the round-robin stage of the WTA Championships last season.  Given that Williams has not been at her best these last two weeks in the desert, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Halep may once again find a way to take advantage of the situation and garner a second victory over the current No. 1.

Of course, earning a second victory over Williams will be a big ask for the Romanian, and there are few who would peg her to do so.  Williams has a knack for flipping the switch at this stage of an event, and she will not make the mistake of underestimating Halep.  But irrespective of whether or not her journey here at Indian Wells ends at the hands of Williams, Halep has continued to impress this season with her run at the BNP Paribas Open.  It is yet a further reminder of why she is in the uppermost echelons of the women's game, and fans should expect her to continue her upward trend.