Jay Meena wins bronze, creates history with India’s first Asian Games soft tennis medal

India’s Jay Meena beat Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit in a thrilling seven-game quarterfinal. | Photo Credit: PTI

Jay Meena won the bronze medal in men’s singles at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in soft tennis.

Meena’s historic run ended in the semifinals, where he lost to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka 3-5, 1-4, 1-4, 4-1, 6-4, 1-4.

The Indian had earlier beaten the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit in a thrilling seven-game quarterfinal, winning 4-3 (0-4, 4-2, 2-4, 4-2, 5-3, 2-4, 7-5) to assure India of its first medal in the sport at the Asian Games.

The bronze adds to Meena’s steady rise on the international soft tennis circuit.

His international breakthrough came at the 2024 World Soft Tennis Championships, where he partnered Aadhya Tiwari to win bronze in mixed doubles, giving India its first-ever medal at the World Soft Tennis Championships.

At the 2025 Asian Soft Tennis Championships, Meena became the first Indian to win a medal at the continental championships after taking bronze in men’s singles. He went on to win four medals at the event, adding bronze in mixed doubles, men’s team and mixed team events.

Published on Sep 23, 2026

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