Jay Meena has made it to the men’s singles semifinals of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026 with India winning its first medal in soft tennis. He won the match in a fiercely fought quarterfinal against the Philippines’ Sherwin Nuguit and not only did he win gold, but he ensured India would return from the event with a podium place in a sport that the country hasn’t won an Asian Games medal.
Meena’s quarterfinal match was a test of consistency and composure. The Indian went against Nuguit for seven games and neither player remained in control for long periods. Meena eventually won 4-3 and took a place among the men’s singles top four.
The match was littered with momentum swings. Meena lost the first game 0-4, but he recovered with his second 4-2 win. Nuguit had fought back to win the third 4-2, before Meena achieved a fourth 4-2 win. The contest went on in close exchanges and the Indian ultimately got the moment of the match to close and secure his place in the final. He won a medal with his place in the last four which made his achievement a watershed moment for Indian soft tennis.
Now he has the semifinal to go for, Meena will attempt to work on the gold medal match. His next opponent will be Japan's Takuya Kurosaka. A win in that game would take Meena to the final and to the Asian Games title. Regardless of the semifinal result, however, his quarterfinal victory has already secured a historic medal for India.
The milestone adds another significant chapter to India’s campaign at the 2026 Asian Games. The Aichi-Nagoya edition runs from September 19 to October 4 and has 43 sports and 469 medal events, and athletes from across Asia participate in the multi-sport event.
Also, India had more success in shooting, with double Olympic medallist Manu Bhaker advancing to the women’s 10m air pistol individual final. Bhaker finished third in the qualification round with 579, earning her a place in the medal-deciding contest.
Bhaker qualified through a strong performance at the qualification. Her Indian teammates Esha Singh and Suruchi Inder Singh did not make it to the final. Esha came in 15th with 572 points and Suruchi did 26th with 568 points. The result left Bhaker as India’s representative in the individual 10m air pistol final.
At the Aichi-Nagoya Games, India’s shooting campaign has already won medals. On September 23, the country had received five shooting medals (4 silver and 1 bronze) and the 10m air pistol final provided another opportunity for India to add to its count.
The day also brought us two very different but very important developments in Indian sport. Jay Meena had already broken a historic barrier in soft tennis and provided the nation with its first Asian Games medal in the sport in this category. Manu Bhaker reached the individual final of shooting and was even one step closer to another potential podium.
Meena now must prepare for the semifinal against Kurosaka, and a place in the gold-medal match. The Indian soft tennis player will have an opportunity to add more to his story as the tournament goes on.
