Jay Meena secures India’s first-ever Asian Games soft tennis bronze in Nagoya

Jay Meena secured India’s first-ever soft tennis medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, after losing to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the men’s singles semifinals. Meena fell 2-4 to Kurosaka, the match finishing 3-5, 1-4, 1-4, 4-1, 6-4, 1-4, and he took the bronze as a result.

The 26-year-old Meena is from Dewas in Madhya Pradesh and was competing at his third Asian Games, having also taken part in the 2018 and 2022 editions. He is a 2022 National Games gold-medallist. Meena’s run to the last four continued a steady progression for the player in continental competition.

In the semifinal against Kurosaka, Meena fell three games behind as the Japanese player established an early advantage. Kurosaka won the opening two games 5-3 and 4-1 before moving further ahead with a 4-1 third game. That sequence left Meena with a sizeable deficit to overcome.

Meena mounted a response by claiming the fourth game 4-1 and then edging the fifth 6-4 to bring the match back into contention. His recovery extended the contest, but Kurosaka regrouped in the sixth game and sealed the match 4-1. The semifinal concluded without Meena reaching the final.

Earlier on Wednesday, Meena reached the semifinals by defeating the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit 4-3 in a fiercely contested quarterfinal, the scoreline reading 0-4, 4-2, 2-4, 4-2, 5-3, 2-4, 7-5. Meena had advanced to the quarterfinals after beating Pakistan’s Arain Hussain 4-0 in Group D.

Meena’s career includes a bronze medal in the mixed doubles event at the 2024 World Soft Tennis Championship.

Kurosaka’s victory in the semifinal booked him a place in the final, while Meena finished the tournament with the bronze medal for India.