The Prodigy Who Defeated Chou Tien Chen at Just 18 | Rounak Chouhan

In this episode, we sit down with Rounak Chouhan, one of India’s rising young men’s singles players. At just 19 years old, Rounak has already represented India on the world junior stage and made his presence felt at the senior level, including a breakthrough run at the 2026 US Open where he defeated Chou Tien Chen and reached the semifinals. Rounak takes us inside his journey through India’s competitive badminton system and what it has been like training under Coach Park Tae Sang at the National Centre of Excellence. We talk about the experiences that have shaped him as a young player, making history with India at the World Junior Championships, and what was going through his mind during his breakout run at the US Open. He also opens up about his mentality on court, the players and athletes he looks up to, and the ambitions driving him as he takes the next step in his career. Chapters 03:07 How Rounak’s badminton journey began 06:00 The pathway for young badminton players in India 08:24 Joining the National Centre of Excellence 10:34 Training under Coach Park Tae Sang 12:17 The biggest lesson he learned from Coach Park 15:35 Making history with India at the World Junior Championships 18:06 His breakthrough run at the 2026 US Open 20:39 Facing Chou Tien Chen for the first time 22:16 The moment he realized he could win 25:26 What happened after beating Chou Tien Chen 29:32 Breaking down Rounak’s playing style and future goals 34:17 Viewer Questions 📲 Follow Rounak Chouhan Instagram:   / rounak_chouhan27   🎧 Follow the TLZ Podcast Instagram:   / thetlzpodcast   TikTok:   / the.tlz.podcast   Train your mind. Change your game. 👍 If you enjoyed this episode, like, subscribe, and comment who we should bring on next.