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World No. 1 pickleball player Anna Leigh Waters appeared confused when a local referee explained the match scoring system during a Franklin event in Kuala Lumpur, highlighting key differences in how the sport is played globally.
In the largest professional tour in the United States, games are played to 11 points, where players must win by two and only the serving team can score. However, many Malaysian tournaments play to 15 or 21 points using rally scoring, where a point is awarded to whoever wins the rally regardless of who served.
The Influence of Badminton
The preference for rally scoring in Malaysia stems partly from the widespread familiarity with badminton, which adopted rally scoring back in 2006. In addition to feeling natural to local players, the system assists organizers by making tournament scheduling much easier. Malaysia is not alone in this approach, as at least eight other countries also implement rally scoring in certain competitions.
Shifting Rules Across Borders
In the United States, Major League Pickleball previously utilized rally scoring before deciding to switch back to traditional scoring in 2025, largely because American players were more accustomed to the original rules.
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