Sam Sayes is hoping to make it three from three titles when he competes in the latter stages of the Whangarei Squash Open today.
The 13-year-old Hurunui College student is Northland's fastest-rising star in the national squash scene after an impressive 2010 season last year. He's started this season off with
wins in both tournaments he has played.
He won the men's division two title at the recent North Shore-Waitangi Open and then followed it up with a win in the Remuera A2 tournament.
Sayes has lofty goals and is working his way to becoming a national representative some time in the future - but it may not be too far away given the progress he has made since he took up the sport two-and-a-half years ago.
"I want to represent New Zealand both at the junior worlds and later on as a senior," he said.
But for this year he is concentrating on lifting his C1 grading to B2 and being selected for a place in the national U19 elite development squad, which is chosen after the nationals.
Already a member of the Northland elite U19 squad and the Whangarei squash academy, the natural athlete has quit his two former sports, football and cricket, to concentrate on developing his ability on court.
His progress over the off-season has already impressed his coaches Mike Hebditch and former world champion Carol Owen.
Any improvement on last season has to be regarded as a good result. Sayes won the South Island U13 title but, even more impressively, was a surprise winner of the division two title at the U19 national competition.
The Whangarei Open has attracted 85 players from as far north as Kaitaia and as far south as Auckland.
There are seven men's divisions and five ladies divisions. The finals are expected to get under way from about 3pm today.
