FULLERTON (US), June 26 (ANI) — India’s Rounak Chouhan produced the biggest upset of the US Open badminton tournament on Thursday, defeating World No. 6 and top seed Chou Tien Chen of Chinese Taipei in straight games to advance to the quarterfinals.
World No. 80 Chouhan, a member of India’s bronze medal-winning World Junior Championships squad, overcame Chou 21-17, 26-24 in a 49-minute thriller to book his place in the last eight.
The 18-year-old Indian kept pressure on his more experienced opponent from the outset. Although Chou held a narrow lead at 17-15 in the opening game, Chouhan surged back with six consecutive points to clinch the first game.
In the second game, Chou controlled proceedings for most of the set and led 17-11 before Chouhan again mounted a strong comeback, winning six straight points to level the score. In a tense finish, Chouhan saved four game points before converting his second match point to secure victory.
The win sets up a quarterfinal clash with Israel’s Misha Zilberman.
In other results, India’s Tanvi Sharma, Rakshitha Sree, and Devika Sihag also advanced to the women’s singles quarterfinals.
Fifth seed Tanvi defeated Tung Ciou-Tong of Chinese Taipei 21-12, 21-19, while Rakshitha Sree overcame Chen Su Yu of the same country 21-4, 21-19. Sixth seed Devika Sihag beat Thailand’s Tonrug Saeheng 21-17, 21-19.
Veteran shuttler Kidambi Srikanth rounded off a strong day for India with a commanding 21-14, 21-13 win over Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia. (ANI)
About The Author
