JAKARTA: Malaysia's Leong Jun Hao attributed his recent giant-slaying acts to consistency and confidence.
The former Asian junior champion scored the biggest win of his career today when he stunned world No. 3 Jonatan Christie in front of his home fans in the Indonesia Open first round.
Jun Hao, who has been performing exceptionally well since the Thomas Cup last month, did not let the Istora Senayan crowd affect him.
Instead, he rallied to a sensational 21-13, 16-21, 21-12 victory over Jonatan, who is also the reigning All England and Asian champion.
Just a week ago, Jun Hao made headlines when he shocked Indonesia's world No. 9 Anthony Sinisuka Ginting in the Singapore Open second round.
It's worth noting that both Jonatan and Ginting are considered medal prospects for the Paris Olympics in July.
"It has been a dream for me the last few weeks. Maybe because these players are preparing for the Olympics, so they might face some ups and downs. However, I'm going to give myself credit because I also played my best to win this match.
"Since the Thomas Cup, I've improved in terms of consistency, and this has given me a lot of confidence," said Jun Hao who will play Taiwan's Chou Tien Chen next.