LOSES in two grand slam finals did not deter 13-year-old Rusiate Navuso from trying again.
And it was third time lucky for the Labasa College Form Three student when he took out the Alpha Omega Grand Slam tournament in Labasa last Saturday.
The tournament, which had to be deferred for a week, saw Navuso beat Sakiusa Bera of Labasa Sangam College in the final.
A statement from the Labasa Junior Tennis Federation said Navuso trailed Bera 2-4 in the first set but quickly erased the deficit once he found his footing.
"At four-all, Navuso broke Bera's serve and then served out the set comfortably," the statement said.
The Tailevu lad said he was focused on winning in this third attempt.
"I wanted it so bad after coming close the last two times," Navuso said.
Down 1-5 in the second set, Bera, who was utterly disappointed after losing the first set, tried to claw his way back into the match.
He managed to level the scores at 5-all but Navuso broke his heart by clinching the vital point for the win.
"My mind was still in the first set. I should have won that set and I let it slip. And I couldn't get out of it in the second set," Bera said.
The win saw Navuso rise from fifth to second in the Labasa Junior Rankings and he said he was delighted with his victory and dedicated it to his parents.
"They will be happy and proud of me," Navuso said.
Tournament director Ajendra Sharma said the tournament featured 16 participants and like previous years, there was no girl's competition because of the lack of interest.
The next major competition which is the Mitadroka Open will be held in two weeks.