In Nagoya, padel is poised to crown its first Asian Games champions. Following the quarterfinals played on October 1st, two delegations have already secured their place on the podium: Iran in the men's competition and Indonesia in the women's. This first-ever achievement gives new visibility to players from the continent. 

While the best pairs on the professional circuit are competing in Rotterdam P2, another important event is taking place in Japan. Integrated into the program of  Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games as a medal-winning discipline The padel tournament brings together 20 men's pairs and 23 women's pairs. The gold and bronze medal matches are scheduled for Saturday, October 3rd.

Iran knocks out the last two Japanese pairs

The men's draw had a difficult day for the host country. Both Japanese pairs still in contention were eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Iranian representatives.

 Hami Golestan and Arya Roghani  dominated Teruaki Ando and Shinnosuke Nakamura  6 / 4 7 / 5 In the other part of the table,  Farsad Shahi and Amirmohammad Jamshidi  Kazuki Tomita and Nasa Hatakeyama were dismissed  6/1 7/6(5) .

Iran thus occupies two of the four places in the semi-finals. Golestan-Roghani will face the Qataris Mashari and Rashed Naif, the top seeds, while Shahi-Jamshidi will play against the Malaysians Christian Chin and Aidan Yunus.

This double qualification guarantees the country at least one medal: even with two semi-final defeats, the two Iranian teams would still face each other in the bronze medal match. Speaking to the FIP, Roghani emphasized the particular pressure associated with this opportunity to bring a medal home to his country.

Indonesia is shaking up the female hierarchy

In the women's competition, Indonesia also placed two teams in the semi-finals, with particularly clear results.

 Fadona Kusumawati and Fitriani Sabatini The seventh-seeded team achieved the standout performance of the quarterfinals by eliminating the Japanese team.  Kotomi Ozawa and Chifumi Sato , top seeds,  6 / 0 6 / 1 They meet up with Danna Abad and Joshea Malazarte, the representatives of the Philippines.

On their side,  Novela Putria and Beatrice Gumulya  defeated Chan-Law of Hong Kong  6 / 1 6 / 2 Their semi-final pits them against the Japanese players Saki Tsukamoto and Kae Tokumoto, the last representatives of the host country in the competition.

“We are proud to be part of padel’s debut at the Asian Games,” Gumulya told the FIP. Like Iran in the men’s competition, Indonesia is now guaranteed to leave with at least one medal.

Another showcase for international padel

These Games offer exposure to players who are rarely in the spotlight. Premier PadelIran, Indonesia, Qatar, Malaysia, the Philippines and Japan make up the final four: all delegations that have an opportunity here to build their own international credentials.

It would be premature to see this as a challenge to the world hierarchy. A continental competition doesn't measure the level of these pairs against the best Spanish or Argentinian players. However, it does allow us to track the balance of power within Asian padel, with the sporting stakes now embodied by medals.

Following its integration into other multi-sport events, padel continues its establishment in a setting where one plays for a national delegation.  On Saturday, Nagoya will name the first padel champions in the history of the Asian Games. 

Antoine Tricolet

I discovered the Padel I stumbled into Spain at a campsite. I was instantly hooked; passionate about padel, I follow international and regional news with the same excitement as the sport itself.

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