A new mom (again), Buckner makes her way to the singles semis

This one is for the moms, says Brooke Buckner.

A quarterfinal win, a shot at the semifinals, and a shout-out to those moms who are out there dinking and driving. 

“Just keep playing,” Buckner said. 

That’s what she did Friday at the PPA Tour’s Hyundai Masters, getting past Mary Brascia in the singles quarterfinal and setting up a showdown with Catherine Parenteau Saturday at the Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Desert, Calif.

And doing it all just eight weeks after giving birth to a baby girl – Buckner’s third child.

“I didn’t have a ton of expectations for this tournament,” she said. “I was able to play free and let it go.”

The expectations were apparently so low before the tournament started, Buckner scheduled herself a flight back home to North Carolina for Saturday. Well, now she’s a win away from her first medal on the PPA Tour after the 11-3, 11-6 victory over Brascia, and also had to rebook that flight.

Not bad for pushing a stroller around the grounds before and after her match.

“I wanted to see what I had in the tank for singles,” Buckner said. “The fitness isn’t where I would like it to be.”

Buckner said she started hitting and practicing about three weeks after her baby was born – against doctor’s orders she even admitted. “I didn’t really listen to the doctors,” she said. “I was doing some training and trying to ease back into it. My strength is good, but the cardio has been tough.”

Well, it will definitely be tough for the eighth-seeded Buckner to keep up with No. 2-seeded Parenteau, although Buckner has beaten her once previously.

But Buckner said when she’s on the court, she won’t be worrying about anything but pickleball. Her family is her support system and her mom is there on-site in California holding the baby and cheering on her daughter at the same time.

“As a mom, it’s important to have something for yourself,” Bucker said. “So, if pickleball is your thing, then keep playing. And pickleball is my thing. 

“Just like for this tournament going in, for the semifinals, I’m going to go out there with no expectations and see what happens.”