# Jay Meena wins India’s first Asian Games soft tennis medal

2026-09-23T07:07:06+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Jay Meena has secured India's first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis by reaching the men's singles semifinals at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Games. The 24-year-old from Madhya Pradesh defeated Sherwin Nuguit of the Philippines 4-3 in a tense quarterfinal on Wednesday, coming from behind to win the deciding game 7-5. The semifinal loss ensures him at least a bronze, a historic first for India in the sport. Meena's journey began as a cricket-dreaming ball boy at Pioneer Public School in Dewas before he took up soft tennis. He won gold at the 2022 National Games and later became the first Indian to win a medal at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships in 2025, claiming four medals overall. His quarterfinal run in Nagoya also came after he reached the last eight at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Soft tennis, which uses a hollow rubber ball and made its Asian Games debut in 1994, has gained new attention in India following Meena's achievement. He will next compete in the semifinals, aiming to reach the gold medal match.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

The coverage focuses on Jay Meena's historic feat, but the framings differ. Hindustan Times adds context about the sport's obscurity and India's previous lack of Asian Games progress in soft tennis, while Times Now and Times of India emphasise his personal journey from ball boy to medallist, including his cricket beginnings and national titles. The reports uniformly celebrate the achievement, with no critical or political angle. The balanced view is that this is a sports milestone with minimal controversy. The next step is Meena's semifinal match, where he will compete for a place in the gold medal contest on the same day.

## Coverage

- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/who-is-jay-meena-meet-the-indian-who-clinched-the-countrys-first-ever-soft-tennis-medal-at-asian-games-article-156207805>
  Lists match scores and adds other India results
- timesnownews.com (neutral report) <https://www.timesnownews.com/sports/jay-meena-creates-history-assures-indias-first-ever-asian-games-soft-tennis-medal-article-156207235>
  Lists match scores and adds other India results
- timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report) <https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/asian-games-2026/from-wanting-to-be-a-cricketer-to-making-asian-games-history-how-jay-meena-went-from-ball-boy-to-indias-first-soft-tennis-medallist/articleshow/134425919.cms>
  Frames as a personal journey narrative but factual
- hindustantimes.com (sensationalist) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/sports/what-is-soft-tennis-the-little-known-sport-in-which-jay-meena-won-a-historic-asian-games-medal-for-india-101790140961913.html>
  Opens with intrigue and explains the sport's novelty

Tags: Asian Games, India, Jay Meena, Madhya Pradesh, Manu Bhaker
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