18-year-old Rounak Chouhan stuns world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen at US Open
Rounak Chouhan, an 18-year-old Indian shuttler from Raipur, Chhattisgarh, defeated world No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in the first round of the US Open Super 300 badminton tournament in Fullerton, California, on Thursday. The score was 21-17, 26-24.
Chouhan, ranked 80th in the world, played an aggressive attacking game from the start, putting the top-seeded Taiwanese under pressure. After trailing 15-17 in the first game, he won six consecutive points to take the set. In the second game, he faced a 11-17 deficit but again rallied with six straight points to level at 17. He then saved four set points before converting his second match point to seal the victory.
Chouhan began playing badminton at age eight, inspired by his mother, who played the sport in college, and his elder sister. He also credits Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo as a role model for his work ethic. “She always says give 100% even on a bad day. With Ronaldo it’s his hard work that’s inspiring,” Chouhan told The Indian Express after the Junior World Championships.
He trains at the National Centre of Excellence in Guwahati and has been working on his jumping smashes and explosive sessions with strength and conditioning coaches at the Reliance Foundation. He aims to balance aggression with calmness, citing Lakshya Sen as an influence for staying composed during aggressive play.
Chouhan’s next opponent is Israel’s Misha Zilberman. In other matches, Indian shuttler Kidambi Srikanth advanced by defeating Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia 21-14, 21-13. Indian women’s singles players Tanvi Sharma, Devika Sihag, and Rakshitha Sree also progressed.
