Indian badminton player Rounak Chouhan pulled off the biggest victory of his young career by upsetting top seed and World No. 6 Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei to reach the men’s singles quarterfinals of the Yonex US Open 2026.
The 18-year-old delivered a composed and fearless performance to defeat the experienced campaigner 21-17, 26-24 in the Round of 16 on Thursday, registering his first-ever win against a top-10 ranked opponent.
Rounak showed remarkable resilience in the opening game after trailing 15-17. Refusing to let the deficit affect him, the Indian youngster dominated the closing stages, winning six of the final seven points to seal the game 21-17 and take control of the contest.
The second game tested Rounak’s temperament even further. Chou, a former World Tour Finals champion, looked set to force a decider after opening up a commanding 17-11 advantage. The veteran also earned four game points, but Rounak remained calm under pressure, saving each of them before edging a thrilling finish 26-24 to complete one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.
The victory marks a significant milestone for the teenager, who has steadily built momentum throughout the competition with a string of impressive performances.
Rounak began his campaign by securing a place in the main draw through the qualifying rounds. He first defeated France’s Enogat Roy in straight games, winning 21-19, 21-16, before recovering from the loss of the opening game to overcome Chinese Taipei’s Kuo Kuan Lin 13-21, 21-14, 21-10.
His strong run continued in the opening round of the main draw, where he defeated fellow Indian S. Sankar Muthusamy Subramanian 23-21, 21-16 to book his place in the last 16.
With confidence soaring after his breakthrough victory over one of the world’s top players, Rounak will now turn his attention to the quarterfinals, where he is scheduled to face Israel’s Misha Zilberman for a place in the final four.
The impressive run has highlighted the teenager’s ability to compete against elite opposition and marks another important step in his development on the international badminton circuit.
