What We Know About Anna Leigh’s Mysterious New Paddle

Spoiler alert: Not a whole lot. At least not yet.

Anna Leigh Waters just won her first MLP Championship — playing with a mysterious new paddle nobody is ready to talk about.

The Franklin “?” popped up on the UPA-A Approved Paddle List a couple weeks back, and sure enough ALW debuted it over the weekend at MLP NYC.

We’ve been asking around, and don’t have much to report by way of details just yet.

What we do know is that three models have been approved so far:

• Elongated 14mm
• Elongated 16mm
• Hybrid 14mm

Judging by the curved top of ALW's paddle, it looks like she was using the hybrid.

We’ve heard the "?" is a necessary iteration of an existing C45 model stemming from JOOLA’s wide-sweeping patent infringement lawsuit, which named Franklin as one of the brands. But nothing confirmed there.

Stay tuned. We’re on it.

In the meantime, here are some highlights from MLP Finals, including a few feature ALW.

Video: MLP Finals Recap Day 1 — Fives and Shock Win

St. Louis and New Jersey take care of business during day one of the 2026 MLP Finals weekend. Nico the Lefty breaks down the action — and what comes next.

The Dink PickleballAlex E. Weaver

MLP Finals Day 2 Recap: Anna Leigh Waters in a Dreambreaker

Anna Leigh Waters. On the biggest stage. With the match on her paddle. And she delivers.

The Dink PickleballAlex E. Weaver

The New Jersey Fives Take Home the 2026 MLP Championship

The culmination of the 2026 Major League Pickleball season took place at CityPickle at Wollman Rink inside Central Park in New York City, as the New Jersey Fives defeated the St. Louis Shock to earn their first ever MLP Championship.

The Dink PickleballErik Tice

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