KUALA LUMPUR: With Lee Zii Jia losing matches frequently, you can't blame Leong Jun Hao for feeling that he has a good chance of beating Zii Jia tomorrow in the Australian Open first round.
Jun Hao, 24, is now after Zii Jia's scalp after beating homesters Low Pit Seng 21-15, 21-15 and Ephraim Steven Sam 21-13, 21-11 in the qualifying rounds.
World No 51 Jun Hao makes no secret of his intention to upset world No 18 Zii Jia.
Zii Jia has suffered four back-to-back first round exits in the past few months, and is expected start as an unseeded player at this month's World Championships in Copenhagen.
Jun Hao, the newly crowned national champion, told Timesport: "My condition is good right now, and I have nothing to lose.
"I will go all out against Zii Jia. If I want to be a top player, I need big results. At some point I will need to score an upset."
Should Jun Hao or Zii Jia make it to the next round, they are slated to face former world champion, Loh Kean Yew of Singapore.
The other Malaysian men's singles player who will see first round action is world No 21 Ng Tze Yong who will meet Japan's Kanta Tsuneyama.