Five years after becoming the first local player to win the country's premier squash title, Ong Beng Hee survived his second successive marathon to reclaim the CIMB Malaysian Open trophy - much to the delight of the packed crowd at the National Squash Centre at Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur.
The Penang-born 25-year-old made his breakthrough in the semi-finals of the $30,000 PSA Tour event when he toppled top-seeded compatriot Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the defending champion, in a dramatic five-game 102-minute upset.
In the final - the 15th of his career - third seed Beng Hee faced Egypt's Wael El Hindi, the fourth seed.
The UK-based Malaysian came through the first game after a tiebreak - and went on to establish a two-game lead. But El Hindi came back to take the third game before Beng Hee re-established his authority and marched through to an 11-10 11-6 8-11 11-7 victory in 71 minutes.
The success marked the tenth PSA title of Ong Beng Hee's career - and the biggest since winning the Macau Open in November 2001.
Final:
[3] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [4] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 11-10 (3-1), 11-6, 8-11, 11-7 (71m)