Ong Beng Hee
Encyclopedia
Ong Beng Hee is a professional squash
player from Malaysia.
With four successive Asian Championship titles from 2000–2006; gold medals in both the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games
, 11 PSA Tour titles from 19 final appearances, and a career-best world ranking of No 7, Ong Beng Hee has become Malaysia’s most successful men squash player of all-time. In August 1998, the Penang
teenager crowned a glittering junior career in the USA by becoming the World Junior Champion – an achievement that made him the first non-Pakistan
i Asian
to claim the most prestigious junior title.
He began the new millennium outside the top 40. By the end of the year he had won his first Asian Championship
; had become the first Malaysian to qualify for the British Open, then went on to make the quarter-finals. He had also secured three PSA titles. The third of these was in Kuala Lumpur
where he became the first home winner of the prestigious Malaysian Open. His sparkling year was rewarded by a leap into the top ten, and a career-best world number 7 ranking in December 2001.
. A year later he reached the final of the Under-16 British Open, going one better in January 1996 by winning the Under-16 title. Later that year, he showed his promise by reaching the semi-finals of the 1996 World Junior Open in Egypt
, competing as a 16-year-old in an event in which most fellow competitors were at least two years older.Coached initially by his father, then the Canadian Malaysian national coach Jamie Hickox, Beng Hee moved to England
in 1997 to work with Neil Harvey, coach to England's long-time world No 1 Peter Nicol
- later moving north to work with Malcolm Willstrop.
in the final in Princeton, New Jersey
, USA. In 2001, Beng Hee reached the quarter-finals of five Super Series events - an achievement which was rewarded the following year by his debut in the Super Series Finals in London
.
in England by winning the silver medal in the Mixed Doubles with illustrious compatriot Nicol David
. 2007 highlights include beating higher-ranked Stewart Boswell
to reach the quarter-finals of the British Open in Manchester
- then, later in the year, repeating his success over the Australian in the Qatar Classic
before achieving a second upset over Egyptian Wael El Hindi to become the only unseeded player to reach the last eight of the Super Series event in Doha
.
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player from Malaysia.
With four successive Asian Championship titles from 2000–2006; gold medals in both the 2002 and 2006 Asian Games
Asian Games
The Asian Games, officially known as Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organised by the...
, 11 PSA Tour titles from 19 final appearances, and a career-best world ranking of No 7, Ong Beng Hee has become Malaysia’s most successful men squash player of all-time. In August 1998, the Penang
Penang
Penang is a state in Malaysia and the name of its constituent island, located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It is bordered by Kedah in the north and east, and Perak in the south. Penang is the second smallest Malaysian state in area after Perlis, and the...
teenager crowned a glittering junior career in the USA by becoming the World Junior Champion – an achievement that made him the first non-Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
to claim the most prestigious junior title.
He began the new millennium outside the top 40. By the end of the year he had won his first Asian Championship
Asian Championship
There are various championships held in a variety of sports on an Asian Level:*Athletics: Asian Championships in Athletics*Badminton: Badminton Asia Championships*Baseball: Asian Baseball Championship*Basketball:**FIBA Asia Championship...
; had become the first Malaysian to qualify for the British Open, then went on to make the quarter-finals. He had also secured three PSA titles. The third of these was in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
where he became the first home winner of the prestigious Malaysian Open. His sparkling year was rewarded by a leap into the top ten, and a career-best world number 7 ranking in December 2001.
1994 - 1997
Ong Beng Hee began playing squash when he was eight – at the 17-court club his squash-enthusiast father had built in Malaysia. He first came to international attention in January 1994 when he won the prestigious British Junior Under-14 Open title in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. A year later he reached the final of the Under-16 British Open, going one better in January 1996 by winning the Under-16 title. Later that year, he showed his promise by reaching the semi-finals of the 1996 World Junior Open in Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, competing as a 16-year-old in an event in which most fellow competitors were at least two years older.Coached initially by his father, then the Canadian Malaysian national coach Jamie Hickox, Beng Hee moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1997 to work with Neil Harvey, coach to England's long-time world No 1 Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol, MBE , is a former professional squash player from the United Kingdom, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking...
- later moving north to work with Malcolm Willstrop.
1998 - 2001
In January 1998, he became the British Junior Under-19 Open champion, at the age of 17, and joined a select and distinguished group of squash players who have claimed three British Junior Open titles. In August, Beng Hee clinched the World Junior Open title in his second successive final, beating Egypt’s Wael El HindiWael El Hindi
Wael Hatem El-Hendy, is a professional squash player who represented Egypt. A PSA member since 1999, Wael El Hindi has long been regarded as one of Egypts most talented players - first making his mark in the USA in 1998 when he reached the final of the World Junior Championship as a 5/8 seed...
in the final in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
, USA. In 2001, Beng Hee reached the quarter-finals of five Super Series events - an achievement which was rewarded the following year by his debut in the Super Series Finals in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
2003 - 2007
In 2003, Beng Hee made up for the disappointment of a third round exit in the men’s singles of the Commonwealth GamesCommonwealth Games
The Commonwealth Games is an international, multi-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930 and takes place every four years....
in England by winning the silver medal in the Mixed Doubles with illustrious compatriot Nicol David
Nicol David
Datuk Nicol Ann David is a Malaysian female professional squash player. She is currently ranked world number 1 in women's squash, and is the first Asian woman to achieve this...
. 2007 highlights include beating higher-ranked Stewart Boswell
Stewart Boswell
Stewart Boswell is a professional squash player from Australia.-Career Overview:...
to reach the quarter-finals of the British Open in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
- then, later in the year, repeating his success over the Australian in the Qatar Classic
Qatar Classic
The Qatar Classic is an annual international squash tournament that takes place in Doha, Qatar in October. The event was re-established in 2001. The tournament features both men and women, the men's event is part of the PSA World Series and the women's event is part of the WISPA World...
before achieving a second upset over Egyptian Wael El Hindi to become the only unseeded player to reach the last eight of the Super Series event in Doha
Doha
Doha is the capital city of the state of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf, it had a population of 998,651 in 2008, and is also one of the municipalities of Qatar...
.