Franklin Sports opens its Asia Pickleball Showcase in Manila this October featuring Anna Leigh Waters. Learn how adult players can prepare for the exhibition.
Franklin Sports will open its Franklin Asia Pickleball Showcase in Manila from October 13 to 15, 2026. The three-day event features an appearance and exhibition play by professional athlete Anna Leigh Waters. This Manila stop marks the official start of a four-country Southeast Asian itinerary. Following the Philippine dates, the showcase will travel to Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Vietnam.
Waters arrives in Manila as one of the sport's most recognizable competitors. Rappler identifies the 19-year-old as the Professional Pickleball Association's current number one player across women's singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. She turned professional at age 12 and has dominated the circuit since her debut. According to Rappler, she has accumulated nearly 200 career gold medals and more than 40 triple crowns.
The showcase also serves as a visible platform for equipment promotion in a growing international market. Coverage indicates that Franklin will use the event to highlight specific products. Attendees can expect to see a mystery paddle associated with Waters during the exhibitions. The company will also display the popular X-40 ball.
Franklin-related coverage describes the X-40 as having more than 75 percent market share in North America. This specific ball is used in the Maharlika Pilipinas Pickleball Tour and the US Open Pickleball Championships. It is also utilized during the APP Tour, the Pickleball Slam, and USA Pickleball events. Additionally, Franklin has indicated that a faster-playing X-44 ball is expected near the end of 2026.
For local players looking to test gear, Franklin equipment is already available in the Philippines. Tiebreaker Times lists local retail partners including Decathlon, Toby’s Sports, Chris Sports, and Juego PH. This accessibility allows amateur players to find the same brand of equipment locally after the professional event concludes.
For adult players, a professional showcase offers an excellent opportunity to observe elite court movement in person. Competitive amateurs may find the event particularly useful for studying transition-zone decisions and doubles patterns. You can watch how Waters prepares her paddle early and makes deliberate ball selections under pressure. However, these observations should be kept strictly separate from claims about equipment automatically improving your own performance.
When observing an elite player, focus heavily on their lower body positioning. Watch how Waters utilizes a split step before her opponent strikes the ball. Notice how she uses a wide base to decelerate effectively when moving from the baseline to the kitchen. By studying these mechanics, recreational players can better understand the physical requirements of the sport. You can read more about these specific techniques in The Court Movement Playbook: Essential Footwork Skills for Tennis, Pickleball and Padel.
Observing professional preparation is often more valuable than watching the shot making itself. When I first started playing pickleball, I noticed how many people skipped warming up entirely. They would jump straight out of their cars and right up to the kitchen line. I tried doing that and immediately pulled a calf muscle.
Pickleball requires just as much explosive lateral movement as tennis, just in a tighter space. Since then, I always spend five minutes doing dynamic lunges and ankle rolls. It changes everything about how confident I feel pushing off the baseline. Professional exhibitions highlight this exact discipline, showing how top players physically prepare before they ever hit a ball.
Building a routine before stepping on court is a foundational step for athletic longevity. Players interested in building better habits can review our guide on The Workload Report: The 12-Minute Court-Ready Warm-Up for Tennis, Pickleball and Padel. Adult players should treat the planned product demonstrations with a practical mindset. Use the opportunity to compare equipment characteristics like paddle shape, weight, grip, and control.
When evaluating paddle demonstrations, remember that professional gear is often customized for power and specific swing weights. A paddle that allows an elite player to drive the ball past defenders might feel entirely uncontrollable in the hands of a weekend player. Prioritize finding equipment that complements your current skill level rather than chasing professional specifications. Adult players must adapt their training volume and equipment choices to their own conditioning and injury history. Proper preparation allows you to adapt your movement to singles and doubles safely.
Protect your own physical capability by planning your weekly schedule carefully. Place any high-intensity personal practice well away from the main observation sessions of the showcase. It is wise to preserve recovery time. Avoid stacking unfamiliar equipment testing with a demanding match block.
The decision to open the tour in Manila aligns with rapidly changing participation numbers in the region. Jared Franklin, head of international for Franklin Sports, described the Philippines as one of the world's fastest-growing pickleball markets. The Tribune and Tiebreaker Times report a 1,213 percent year-over-year increase in Philippine pickleball participation.
This local momentum is highly visible on the ground. Rappler reports that new pickleball courts are currently being built in parks, business districts, and recreational spaces across the Philippines. This infrastructure growth mirrors the broader success of the Franklin professional roster. Franklin says its athletes have collected 105 medals year to date across the PPA and APP Pro Tours.
Franklin representatives highlighted Hayden Patriquin, Paris Todd, and Will Howells alongside several others. The company also named Jimmy Liong, Sofia Sewing, and Casey Diamond among its successful athletes. Megan Fudge and Ryler DeHeart complete the group of players specifically mentioned by the brand.
The sheer volume of new players highlights why regional tours are becoming necessary. As local communities adopt the sport, the demand for structured competition and coaching naturally rises. Franklin’s investment in the Philippine market suggests that manufacturers see Southeast Asia as a primary growth corridor. We anticipate other major brands will follow suit with similar regional exhibitions.
Beyond tournament performance, Waters continues to expand her individual influence across the broader sports landscape. Rappler reports that she was the first professional pickleball player to sign a multiyear Nike deal. She also maintains a long-term equipment partnership with Franklin Sports. Furthermore, she was named to the TIME100 Most Influential People in Sports.
As the October dates approach, the event remains confirmed only in broad strokes. Publicly available reports do not yet identify the specific Manila venue or the expected court surface. The daily program, session lengths, ticketing processes, and registration requirements also remain pending. The available reports confirm an opportunity to watch Waters play, but they do not verify if public amateur clinics are included.
Players traveling from other Southeast Asian countries should use the four-country itinerary as a regional planning reference. However, you should wait for the official Manila venue and access information before booking nonrefundable travel. Mapping out the logistics in advance is a core part of any successful sporting trip. You can find strategies for managing your schedule in The Court-Trip Playbook: How to Plan a Better Tennis, Pickleball or Padel Getaway.
We expect to see more clarity on Franklin's product timeline toward the end of 2026. The expected launch of the X-44 ball could signal faster play conditions for upcoming seasons. This tour highlights a shift in how international pickleball markets are being cultivated by major equipment manufacturers.
Exhibitions are transitioning from simple appearances into structured brand development initiatives. Over the next season, pay attention to how future regional showcases manage the balance between elite exhibition play and concrete amateur access. Recreational players stand to benefit the most when events provide transparent schedules and organized opportunities to observe top-tier athletic mechanics.
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