The Indian men’s soft tennis team’s campaign at the 2026 Asian Games came to an end after a 0-2 defeat against Indonesia in the quarterfinals on Friday.
The Indian team, comprising Jay Meena, Yogesh Choudhary, Aryan Thakur, Aniket Patel and Om Yadav, lost both ties against Indonesia. Meena and Choudhary went down 2-5 to Tio Hutauruk and Fernendo Sanger in the opening men’s doubles tie, before Thakur lost 3-4 to Bagus Pradewa in the singles.
The men’s team campaign has thus come to an end, although the Indian athletes will remain in contention in the individual events. Meena and Thakur will compete in the men’s singles on September 22, while Meena will also feature in the mixed doubles on September 21.
India began its campaign with a commanding 3-0 victory over Laos but suffered a 0-3 defeat to group toppers Chinese Taipei. Needing a win in their final group tie to secure a place in the knockout stage, the Indians responded with a comprehensive 3-0 victory over Mongolia to advance to the quarterfinals with four points from three ties.
Against Laos, Meena and Choudhary won the opening doubles match 5-0, before Thakur registered a 4-0 victory in singles. Patel and Yadav then completed the clean sweep with another dominant doubles win.
Chinese Taipei proved a tougher opponent, with Meena and Choudhary losing the opening doubles tie 0-5 and Thakur going down 1-4 in singles. Patel and Yadav also lost the second doubles tie as India suffered a 0-3 defeat.
With a quarterfinal berth at stake, India bounced back against Mongolia. Patel and Yadav won the opening doubles tie 5-0, followed by Meena’s 4-0 victory in singles. Thakur and Choudhary then completed the 3-0 win in the second doubles tie.
The campaign was led by Meena, one of India’s accomplished soft tennis players in recent years. The Madhya Pradesh athlete represented India at the 2018 Asian Games and won the men’s singles gold medal at the 2022 National Games in Gujarat.
In 2024, Meena and Aadhya Tiwari won bronze in mixed doubles at the World Soft Tennis Championships, securing India’s first-ever medal at the event. He became the national champion in 2025 and later won bronze in men’s singles at the Asian Soft Tennis Championships, becoming the first Indian to win a medal at the continental event.
(IANS Inputs)
