LAKEWAY, TX - Whatever happens on Sunday, we know that there will be a first-time champion on the PPA Tour.

That became apparent when No. 4 seed Judit Castillo and No. 16 seed Kaitlyn Christian won their semifinal matches Thursday afternoon at the Veolia Austin Open powered by Invited.

Castillo took down No. 10 seed Jorja Johnson, who she had lost to exactly one week earlier at the APP Sacramento Open in the semifinals.

Thursday’s contest, like the previous week’s, went three games, but this time it was the Spaniard who came out on top.

The difference in the two results came down to the time Castillo had spent going over the footage of their last match, as well as her commitment to trying some new things.

“I had a chance to do some film work during the last week,” she revealed. “I knew that I had to be aggressive and come up to the kitchen more.”

That helped Castillo earn an 11-7, 1-11, 11-7 to send her to Sunday.

Christian’s road to the semifinals was a bit rockier, as she found herself facing huge deficits in two out of her three games against Brooke Buckner in the quarters.

But it was much smoother sailing for her in the semis, where she downed last week’s silver-medalist Parris Todd 11-3, 12-10.

“It feels really good,” Christian said of making her first PPA final. “I love singles, I love being out here and competing, so I’m really excited for Sunday.

As are we, Kaitlyn.