Japan sends two pairs into the quarter-finals
The 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya run from 19 September to 4 October 2026 in Japan. The padel tournament is scheduled from 28 September to 3 October at the Nagoya City Higashi Sports Center. The host nation won both round-of-16 matches it played on Tuesday 29 September. In the men’s draw, Tomita and Hatakeyama beat Thailand’s Rawal and Mocciola 6-4, 6-2. In the women’s draw, Kotomi Ozawa and Chifumi Sato defeated Qatar’s Murad and Faramarzi 6-1, 6-4. Those wins put both Japanese pairs into the quarter-finals, scheduled for Thursday 1 October under the FIP calendar.
Ozawa and Sato are the number one seeds in the women’s draw. The International Padel Federation reported that Ozawa could pick out familiar faces and Japanese flags in the crowd during the match. The pair is competing on home soil in the first Asian Games to award medals in padel.
Japan had already opened its tournament with a men’s victory on Monday. Ando and Nakamura beat Lebanon’s El Hallak and Tohme 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 in the round of 32. The Philippines also won in the women’s draw through Abad and Malazarte, then in the men’s draw through Lapidus and Canizares. The official Day 1 report places those results among the first padel matches ever played at the Asian Games.
On 3 September, Ozawa posted on her official Instagram account about Team Japan and preparations for the event in Nagoya.
Narkprasert wins after an ACL tear
Natalie Narkprasert and Kwancheewa Srirungreang beat Kuwait’s Hasan and Sarkhoo in the opening round of the women’s draw. The FIP report does not publish the score of that match, but it says Narkprasert lost about a year after surgery linked to an anterior cruciate ligament tear and a meniscus injury.
Narkprasert also said she had to learn to walk again. Her doctor had told her she would never be able to play sport again.
I would prove him wrong.
Indonesia also moved into the round of 16 through Kusumawati and Sabatini, who beat Kuwait’s Alsarraj and Alqenaei 6-1, 6-0. In the men’s draw, Iran’s Shahi and Jamshid defeated Alawadhi and Shams 6-4, 6-3. On Wednesday 30 September, twelve more round-of-16 matches are scheduled in Nagoya, six women’s and six men’s, starting at 10 a.m. local time.
