Mohd Ali Anwar Reda celebrated home success in the inaugural Sportsmax Open when he lifted the PSA World Tour International 25 event trophy at the American University in Cairo.
But the second seed from Cairo was stretched for 96 minutes before overcoming the event's giant-killer Marwan El Shorbagy - the 17-year-old qualifier from his own country who ousted two seeds on the way to his unexpected appearance in the final.
El Shorbagy, from Alexandria, arrived in Cairo fresh from winning the world junior title in Belgium - then immediately went through two rounds of qualifying, before beating third-seeded Pakistani Aamir Atlas Khan in the quarter-finals, then top seed Omar Mosaad in the semis.
And the youngster continued his winning ways in the final, taking the opening game before conceding the next two only in tie-break games.
But 22-year-old Reda ultimately emerged triumphant, beating his promising fellow countryman 6-11, 12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 16-14 to secure the 11th PSA World Tour title of his career.
RESULTS: PSA International 25 Sportsmax Open, Cairo, Egypt
Final:
[2] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) bt [Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 6-11, 12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 16-14 (96m)