Wika Shows Ricky Lin With the Next-X at AEPL Hsinchu and the Hong Kong Slam
Andrew LeeWika Pickleball showed Ricky Lin playing the Wika Next-X at two events, in two posts on 20 Oct: one from the AEPL Hsinchu Station Championship and one from the Hong Kong Slam.
Neither post gives a score or a placing. Both are about the paddle. The Hsinchu post has Lin "focused on every rally, determined on every point". The Hong Kong post is titled "The Next Drive" and credits Lin with "powerful drives and explosive shots".
Two stages, one paddle
The AEPL is the Asia Elite Pickleball League, Taiwan's first professional pickleball season. Focus Taiwan reported five teams, a NT$1 million (US$31,419) prize pool and a season running from late August to November, starting in Taichung on 29 Aug. The league's launch coverage did not list a Hsinchu stop. The name comes from Wika's own post.
The Hong Kong Slam is a different scale. It runs 19 to 25 Oct at Kai Tak Arena and offers up to US$1.1 million and 1,500 ranking points, according to PPA Tour Asia. Wika's graphic for Lin reads "Confirm Participation" with the Hang Seng Bank Hong Kong Slam 2026 logo. Neither post says which division he entered, and we could not find a result for him.
The paddle and its namesake
The Next-X was launched in August as Nguyễn Đắc Tiến's paddle. Wika's 15 Aug launch post describes an "all-court" paddle with a NEXT-CORE honeycomb and silicon core, a W-S|GRIT glass-particle surface rated at 2400+ RPM spin, and a TPE edge guard. The product image labels it "Đắc Tiến Signature Paddle".
Lin is not the only player Wika has shown with it. A 12 Sep post has Roos Van Reek playing women's doubles with the Next-X. Wika's 22 Oct W-Lab guide lists the Next-X, with the Wika Predator, as its All-Court picks. The QD Fire models sit under Power and the QD Air models under Control.
Wika has featured Lin before. Its 6 Aug post names him and Hoài Anh as Wika Pickleball Team representatives who came through the qualifiers into the Men's Doubles Pro main draw at PPA Ho Chi Minh, after comeback wins in the deciding qualifying matches.
The Slam's Championship Sunday is 25 Oct.
This article is based on social media posts and historical data tracked by Pickle361.
