Jay Meena clinches India's first Asian Games soft‑tennis medal

Jay Meena secured a bronze medal in soft tennis at the Asian Games, giving India its first podium finish in the sport. He earned the medal after a 2‑3 semifinal loss to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka, which meant he avoided leaving the Games empty‑handed. Earlier in the tournament India lost the chance to win medals in both mixed doubles and men’s doubles, a setback that had kept Meena awake the night before his bronze match. Hailing from Dewas, Madhya Pradesh, Meena first took up soft tennis after his father enrolled him on a softball court to curb his mischievous behavior. He was expelled from school in fourth grade for mischief before gaining admission to Pioneer Public School, where two soft‑tennis courts sparked his interest. With his father’s encouragement during summer breaks, Meena quickly rose through national ranks and began collecting medals. His youngest cousin, Dev Meena, now the national record holder in pole vault, credits Jay as his sporting inspiration and admitted he felt tense watching his uncle’s medal bout. Meena also expressed pride in his brother’s record‑breaking performances, though he will miss cheering him at the upcoming competition. He explained that soft tennis differs from lawn tennis by using lighter balls and racquets, a straight‑point scoring system like badminton, and best‑of‑seven singles or best‑of‑nine doubles formats. The light ball makes the game physically demanding and sensitive to wind. Meena hopes the bronze will draw investment to a sport that currently relies only on the Sports Ministry’s Target Asian Games scheme and leaves him without a permanent job.