Jay Meena and India’s First Asian Games Soft Tennis Medal

Jay Meena and India’s First Asian Games Soft Tennis Medal
Why in News?
Jay Meena won India’s first-ever Asian Games medal in soft tennis, securing a bronze in the men’s singles event at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Jay Meena’s Historic Medal
•    Meena secured the bronze medal after losing 2–4 to Japan’s Takuya Kurosaka in the men's singles semifinal.
•    In the quarterfinal, he staged a notable comeback against Sherwin Nuguit, overturning a 3–5 deficit in the deciding game and winning the next four points to register a 4–3 victory.
Meena’s Sporting Journey
•    By the age of 14, Jay Meena was competing internationally in Japan, the birthplace of soft tennis.
•    He won the men’s singles gold at the 36th National Games in Gujarat in 2022.
•    He had earlier reached the men’s singles quarterfinals at the 2022 Asian Games and represented India in the team event.
•    In 2024, he and Aadhya Tiwari won bronze in mixed doubles at the World Soft Tennis Championships, giving India its first medal at the tournament.
•    In 2025, he became the first Indian to win a medal at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships, taking bronze in men's singles, and subsequently won four medals at the continental championships.
•    The 2026 Asian Games are his third Asian Games appearance, following Jakarta 2018 and Hangzhou 2022.
What is Soft Tennis?
Soft tennis is a racket sport originating in Japan in the late 19th century. It resembles lawn tennis but uses a hollow, soft rubber ball.
•    Ball: Hollow rubber ball, approximately 6.6 cm in size and weighing 30–31 grams.
•    The softer ball is more susceptible to wind and can generate greater spin.
•    Racket: Generally lighter and more flexible, with lower string tension.
•    Court: Same size as a standard tennis court.
•    Net height: 1.07 metres, the same as in lawn tennis.
•    Asian Games debut: 1994.
•    The sport later spread across Asia and Eastern Europe.
Different Scoring System
Soft tennis does not use the traditional 15–30–40 scoring system of lawn tennis.
•    The first player or pair to win four points wins a game.
•    At 3–3, the score reaches deuce.
•    After deuce, a player or pair must win two consecutive points to win the game.
•    Singles: Usually best of seven games.
•    Doubles: Usually best of nine games.