Brooke Buckner could not add hours. So she made them count.

Sunday, 19 July 2026

Today’s Lead

Brooke Buckner could not add more training hours. She made each one matter more.

Brooke Buckner was two points from beating Anna Leigh Waters in the 2025 Mesa final. She had taken the first game 11-4 and led the second 9-4, using the groundstroke weight that first carried her into professional singles and the forward movement she had spent months adding to it.

Waters found an answer and won. Buckner still left with proof that her rebuilt game could place the world’s best player under sustained pressure.

At 34, with three children at home, a base in Charlotte and training blocks in Kansas City, Buckner cannot respond to every weakness by adding hours. She and coach Mike Wolf have made her preparation more exact: deeper serves, earlier court position, better lateral coverage and a first volley capable of preserving the advantage created by her power. That method took her to world No. 4 entering July 2026.

The Global Game

An accessible sport still needs someone to design the way in

Taiwan brought approximately 200 older adults into its first officially organised senior pickleball health-promotion carnival. One week later, Sabah’s Women’s Pickleball Championship drew 160 players across 80 teams, up from 50 teams in 2025, and introduced a Veteran division for women aged 40 and over.

The events followed different models. Taiwan’s was backed by sports, health and research bodies. Sabah’s was a club-led competition. Their shared lesson is that accessibility means more than saying everyone is welcome. People need an entry point that tells them where they belong.

MLP Notebook

Dallas survived Saturday. Columbus controlled it. Both reached Super Sunday unbeaten.

Dallas completed Group A at 4-0 after DreamBreaker victories over Atlanta and Los Angeles. Columbus finished Group B at 5-0, pulling clear of a three-team tie involving SoCal, California and Orlando.

Their reward is the first-place match on Super Sunday. The winner receives 25 standings points and the loser 18. Columbus won more matches and made the journey look easier, but the format gives both teams the same final opportunity.

Weekend Reading

The July issue of World Pickleball Magazine

Issue 18 goes beyond the daily cycle with Zoey Weil, Connor Garnett, Billy Cooke and reporting from across the professional and international game. It is free to read.

Know someone who follows the global game?

Forward them today’s Report. They can join free and receive the next edition directly.