Will Daughton

World No. 4 in women’s singles, Brooke Buckner, has managed to stay at the top of an increasingly competitive field, all while raising three kids. When she turned pro in 2022, she admits her rise came at just the right moment for the sport. “I didn’t practice. I don’t know what I was doing. To be honest, I got in at the right time when singles wasn’t very deep. That’s just the truth, women’s singles wasn’t very good,” said Buckner. “When I got in, I could hit some groundstrokes and hit the serve hard.

2. LA is in trouble. FACT LA started the season with an event win at MLP Dallas. But since then, LA has steadily faded. MLP San Diego exposed problems galore. The women’s doubles team of Catherine Parenteau/Jade Kawamoto was semi-unbeatable in 2025, but this year they are basically a 50-50 team. The #2 mixed team of Max Freeman/Parenteau has been very beatable. Even Ben Johns has been vulnerable, as he is in danger of not finishing as even in the top ten of all MLP players.

Mark Molthan might have to rethink his opinion of San Diego. The Dallas Flash co-owner and GM told Pickleballtv’s Ireland Horvat that he has had “some bad dreams about this place for the last year and that team we played.” ‘That team’ refers to the Columbus Sliders, who the Flash chose to play in the playoff quarterfinals at Barnes Tennis Center in 2025.