Buckner overcomes slow start against Christian for second consecutive singles gold
BRISTOL, TN - Brooke Buckner defeated No. 6 seed Kaitlyn Christian 3-11, 11-3, 11-7 to capture her second women’s singles crown in as many weeks.
The match, which was moved indoors at the last minute due to rain, started off slowly for Buckner as Christian took Game 1 in under ten minutes.
But the No. 5 seed responded with a vengeance, taking Game 2 equally as dominantly in just eight minutes to send the match to a decider.
The great equalizer in the contest was the fact that there was a clear “better” side that the players preferred.
That dynamic certainly played a role in the final game.
“There’s one side that’s a little bit easier to be on in this indoor facility,” Buckner explained. “I started on the tougher side, and I was just banking on being able to play my game on the other side to make the comeback. I knew if I could sneak some points early on in the third on the tougher side, then I would feel extra confident moving to the better side to close it out.”
That’s exactly how things played out, as Buckner got to the side switch in Game 3 trailing 4-6 before scoring seven of the match’s final eight points on her preferred side to clinch the win.
Buckner was playing with added pressure after winning last week’s Selkirk Kansas City Open, but the mother of three had some unexpected fans cheering her on in Tennessee: her husband Adam and children Lucas, Ellie, and Margo.
“I had no idea they were coming, so it was a very fun surprise to have them all here,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Zoey Wang took home bronze to mark her first PPA medal.
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