MURRAY WILSON/STUFF/Stuff
Kaitlyn Watts only dropped one game on her way to the NZ Squash Classic title (file photo).
A young Palmerston North star was almost untouchable on her way to winning the New Zealand Squash Classic in Wellington last weekend.
Kaitlyn Watts, 20, won all four of her matches, only dropping one game of the 13 she played in the Women’s Open tournament.
After the national tournament was postponed three times due to covid-19 restrictions, it finally went ahead in the form of the New Zealand Squash Classic.
It was not officially considered a national tournament because Auckland and Waikato players couldn’t compete due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
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Kaitlyn Watts (right) competing in the women’s open final at the New Zealand doubles championships, with Amanda Landers-Murphy, Abbie Palmer, and Lana Harrison (file photo).
The final was a match-up between the top two seeds of the tournament – Watts, the top seed, and Emma Millar, the second seed.
Watts said she didn’t really feel the pressure of being the top seed. Going into the final she was looking forward to playing Millar as they’d had some good battles in the past.
Watts won the final three games to one, 14-12, 11-8, 8-11,11-9.
“It was nice to see the training pay off and get the win,” she said.
Watts said the tournament was pretty much the end of the New Zealand season, with an overseas adventure now awaiting her.
In about two weeks Watts would be headed to Scotland to train and play at Oriam, Scotland’s high performance sports centre in Edinburgh.
She had been away with teams to play in tournaments, but this would be the first time she had gone away by herself to play squash.
DAVID UNWIN/STUFF/Stuff
Kaitlyn Watts (right), playing for Palmerston North Marist (file photo).
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