Jay Meena Makes History for India in Asian Games Soft Tennis
India stepped into new territory in Nagoya on Wednesday, carried there by the racket of Jay Meena.
The 33-year-old soft tennis player, competing in his third Asian Games, fought through a draining, seven-game epic to reach the men’s singles semi-finals and guarantee India its first-ever medal in the sport at the continental showpiece.
Meena’s marathon for history
Up against the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit in the quarter-finals, Meena looked in real trouble early on. The Indian was slow out of the blocks and quickly on the back foot, dropping the opening game 0-4.
Then the match cracked open.
Meena dug in, adjusted his rhythm and started to find his range, taking the second game 4-2. Nuguit hit back 4-2 in the third, only for Meena to edge a tense fourth 5-3. The pattern repeated: Nuguit claimed the fifth 4-2, Meena clawed back the sixth 7-5.
Every game felt like a swing in momentum. Every rally, a test of nerve.
By the end of it, Meena had pieced together a 4-3 victory with game scores of 0-4, 4-2, 2-4, 5-3, 2-4, 7-5, sealing his place in the last four and with it at least a bronze medal. For Indian soft tennis, it is a landmark moment; for Meena, a reward for persistence across three Asian Games campaigns after appearances in 2018 and 2022.
His quarter-final win built on a ruthless group-stage performance, where he brushed aside Pakistan’s Arain Hussain 4-0 in the men’s singles Group D to book his spot in the knockouts. Now, with the semi-finals looming, the equation is simple: one more win and he walks out for a gold medal match.
Bronze on the range
India’s day in Nagoya was not defined by soft tennis alone.
On the shooting range, the women’s skeet team of Raiza Dhillon, Parinaaz Dhaliwal and Maheshwari Chauhan delivered a composed display to secure bronze with a combined total of 331. Raiza and Parinaaz both posted 111 out of 125, while Maheshwari added 109 to keep India firmly in the medal positions.
China dominated the event with 346 to take gold, Kazakhstan followed with silver, and India completed the podium with another shooting medal to add to its growing tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Bhaker into the medal round
There was more encouragement for India in the 10m air pistol.
Two-time Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker produced a strong qualification series to move into the women’s individual final, staying composed when the field tightened and the margins shrank. Her progression ensured India remained in contention for yet another shooting medal.
Suruchi Inder Singh and Esha Singh, also in the fray for India, fell short of the cut for the final, but the day still ended with a medal in the bag and another shot at the podium to come.
For now, though, the image that lingers is of Jay Meena, a veteran of three Asian Games, finally breaking through a ceiling that had held firm for Indian soft tennis. The semi-final awaits. The sport has its first medal. How far can he push that boundary now?
