KUALA LUMPUR: India’s shuttler H.S. Prannoy defeated China’s Weng Hongyang in a close battle to win the men’s singles final in the Malaysia Masters on Sunday, earning himself a major career success.

Prannoy beat Weng 21-19, 13-21, 21-18 in their first ever face off.

In the thrilling 94-minute marathon match, Prannoy, 30, exhibited calmness and grit over the 23-year-old Weng to win crucial points and end his six-year hunt for a title. Prannoy’s physical endurance, capped by his instinct to unleash powerful crosscourt smashes was pivotal to his victory.

“It is a great achievement for me, the draws were tough,” he said afterwards. Meanwhile, Japan’s top seed and world number one Akane Yamaguchi clinched the women’s singles title, overcoming Indonesia’s Gregoria Mariska Tunjung 21-17, 21-7 to seal her third title of the year. Yamaguchi has been a tournament standout as she demolished each of her opponents with relative ease without dropping a game.

“Malaysia seems to be a lucky place for me. It was fun to play in this venue, with so many fans cheering me on. It’s important for me to play well with confidence every time,” she said.