Franklin brings Anna Leigh Waters to Stackd; signs Rachel Lam

Hong Kong finally got its Anna Leigh Waters night — and a hometown signing that may matter longer than the highlight reel.

On Sunday 18 October 2026, Franklin Pickleball Hong Kong filled Stackd Pickleball in Hopewell Mall, Wan Chai, for a one-night Franklin Asia Pickleball Showcase. World No. 1 Anna Leigh Waters headlined from 6:00pm to 9:30pm: a live clinic, exhibition matches, on-court challenges, and VVIP meet-and-greets that had sold through General Admission and VIP days earlier.

Rachel Lam joins the Franklin Pros

The night's local headline was Rachel Lam Ying-suet.

The Hong Kong professional — a regular on the Asian podium circuit — was signed as a Franklin Professional, putting a Hong Kong face on a roster that already includes Waters and Franklin's Asia push around Jimmy Liong. For a city week already dominated by the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam at Kai Tak, the Stackd showcase gave fans a closer look at the brand's Asia plan and gave Lam a stage next to the No. 1.

Lam has been building that case for years: titles across Hong Kong, China, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and beyond, plus coaching and clinics that keep her visible off the main draw. Signing her in Wan Chai, with Waters in the building and third-generation Franklin Sports owner Jared Franklin on site, framed the deal as more than a social-media drop.

What the Stackd night looked like

Stackd's Wan Chai courts turned into a Franklin pop-up. Waters ran a clinic for the room. Exhibition games mixed the Franklin Pro visit with Asia-based pros named in the event media — including Joey Wild, Sarah Burr, Jimmy Liong Kai Long, Xiao Yi Wang Beckvall and Rachel Lam — while Jared Franklin worked the floor as the brand's family face in Asia.

Tickets had been priced from HK$320 (General Admission) to HK$3,200 (VVIP with meet-and-greet, event tee, X-40 balls, a C45 paddle and a mystery-box pick). By mid-October, GA and VIP were gone; VVIP was the last lane left. Everyone with a ticket still had a shot at Franklin's teased "?" paddle giveaways.

From Wan Chai to Kai Tak

The showcase was the warm-up act for Waters' Hong Kong Slam week. From Monday 19 October she joined the PPA Asia 1500 Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam at Kai Tak Arena (through 25 October), partnering Anna Bright in women's doubles and Ben Johns in mixed — the same pairings that won in Hanoi earlier in 2026.

For Hong Kong fans who could not get into Stackd, Pickletown and the Kai Tak fan zone were the next chance to get close to the tour. For those who were there on Sunday, the story is simpler: Waters finally played a Hong Kong night, Franklin planted a flag at Stackd, and Rachel Lam left as a Franklin Professional.

Photos

Full gallery — 337 frames from Big Dinks Media: Franklin x Stackd ALW 2026.

Photo credit: Big Dinks Media.