Brooke Buckner claimed the first spot in the women’s singles final with a 13-11, 11-8 victory over No. 2 seed Kaitlyn Christian.

The No. 3 seed came out firing on all cylinders and raced out to a 6-0 lead in the opening game, but Christian used a seven-point run of her own to earn a game point at 10-8.

Not deterred by losing her initial advantage, Buckner saved that game point and went on to close out Game 1 by a 13-11 score line.

“In the beginning, Kaitlyn gave me a lot of errors that she doesn’t usually give you, so I was not expecting her to continue to do that,” Buckner said of the effort. “She came up with some good shots, but I really just needed to get back to the game plan and try to come forward before he did because she’s so good when she’ dictating and coming forward.”

In Game 2, it was Christian who gained an early lead. She threatened to send the contest to a deciding game with a 7-4 lead, but Buckner again demonstrated her mental fortitude and scored seven of the final eight points to close out the match and advance to her first final of the 2025 season.

This result ends Christian’s run of four straight tournaments making the women’s singles final. She earned her first two career PPA titles during that streak, coming away with gold in Daytona and Australia.

She spoke about what she’s learned during her run.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned is that I’m not going to be 100% every week. This week I think my game wasn’t 100%, but mentally I was 100%,” she noted. “That’s why it’s amazing what Anna Leigh is able to do. She’s such a good player, but to have those results every single week is amazing.”

Buckner will face Anna Leigh Waters in the final. 

Anna Leigh Waters defeated No. 6 seed Kate Fahey 11-7, 11-4 to follow Buckner and advance to the gold medal match in women's singles. 

Fahey earned an early 7-4 advantage over the top seed in the opening game, but Waters closed Game 1 on a seven-point run before comfortably taking the second to open her busy Semi-Final Saturday up with a relatively straightforward victory. 

Sunday's meeting between Waters and Buckner will be their first since their three-game epic in Virginia Beach last October, which Waters won 9-11, 11-9, 11-6.