KUALA LUMPUR: Frenchman Brice Leverdez is ready to stun Lee Chong Wei again in the World Championships in Nanjing, China, on July 30-Aug 5.
For the second year in a row, ce Leverdez will face the Malaysian in the first round of the World Championships.
World No 19 Leverdez claimed his career’s biggest scalp in Glasgow last year, when he sent Chong Wei home early.
Out of 10 meetings, the Frenchman won twice against Chong Wei.
Leverdez said: “I will bring out my A Class game again when I play Chong Wei but it looks like it will not be easy as Chong Wei has been in good form in recent tournaments.
"So, I know to claim another upset, I will have to be at my best. I believe it will be an interesting encounter, as Chong Wei would also be looking to extract revenge," said Leverdez.
There were high hopes in Glasgow that Chong Wei would win his maiden World Championships title with the return of coach Misbun Sidek. Previously, he had won the silver three times in the world meet.
But the former World No 1 went down 21-19, 22-24, 21-17 to Leverdez in the first round itself. The defeat seemed to have affected Chong Wei’s confidence, as he struggled for a while before rebounding to win his 12th Malaysian Open title recently.
In Nanjing, if he clears the French hurdle, World No 2 Chong Wei is tipped to meet Taiwan's Wang Tzu Wei in the second round.
Chong Wei's biggest challenge in the tournament is expected to come from Japan's Kento Momota in the quarter-finals.