Nagoya: Jay Meena Wednesday bagged India’s first-ever medal in soft tennis at the Asian Games after losing to Takuya Kurosaka of Japan 2-4 in the semifinal in Nagoya.
Meena had secured India’s first-ever medal in the soft tennis at the Asian Games after a sensational comeback win over Sherwin Nuguit in the quarter-final, where he was trailing 3-5 in the final game before clawing back to win the next four points and eventually taking the quarter-final 4-3 to make it to the last four, where he lost to Kurosaka, ending his campaign with a historic bronze.
Meena’s journey in soft tennis began almost by chance. He was more interested in cricket and initially aspired to become a cricketer. After joining Pioneer Public School in Dewas, he came across a soft tennis court, where his curiosity first led him to watch the players and eventually start as a ball boy.
Gradually, he began playing the sport and progressed from school and district competitions to the state and national levels. By the age of 14, he was already competing internationally in Japan, the home of soft tennis.
Meena established himself among India’s leading soft tennis players with a gold medal in men’s singles at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022. He also contributed to Madhya Pradesh’s medal-winning performances in the Men’s Team and Doubles events.
By 2025, he had further strengthened his credentials by becoming the National Champion in Men’s Singles. His international breakthrough continued at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where he reached the quarter-finals of the Men’s Singles event and also represented India in the Men’s Team event.
In 2024, partnering Aadhya Tiwari, he created history by winning India’s first-ever medal at the World Soft Tennis Championships, securing bronze in mixed doubles.
He achieved another historic milestone at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships in 2025, becoming the first Indian to win a medal at the continental championships after reaching the men’s singles semi-finals and securing bronze.
He went on to win four medals at the continental event. The TAGG (Target Asian Games Group) athlete is making his third Asian Games appearance, having previously represented India at Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022.
IANS
