Some 90 tennis players from 13 countries, including 20 from here, will descend on Waipahu next week for the inaugural Hawai'i International Tennis Federation Junior Tournament at the Patsy T. Mink Central O'ahu Regional Park Tennis Complex.

Matches start at 9 a.m. each day, with the first round Monday and finals May 3. Admission is free.

The ITF event is being hosted by the USTA's Hawai'i Pacific Section and the City and County of Honolulu.

"We are thrilled to have an opportunity to host such a high-level junior tournament here in Hawai'i," said Mimi Kennell, Tournament Director and HPS Director of Junior Tennis. "Not only is our location a very desirable place to visit, but it allows for a very diverse group of players — from the Mainland United States, the Pacific Rim, Asia and even Europe — to compete."

Along with the 20 from Hawai'i, including this year's ILH champion Matt Westmoreland, tennis players from Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Canada, Cyprus, Georgia, Great Britain, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Russia, Serbia and the Mainland are entered. The tournament is open to boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 18.

The ITF is the world governing body of tennis. Its objective is to develop the sport worldwide, at all levels, and to "make, amend and uphold the rules of the game." The ITF Junior Circuit is the highest level of tournament play for those 18 and under. It is made up of 338 tournaments in 114 countries, with just 17 events in the U.S.

The junior circuit attempts to mirror the professional circuits. Players gain ranking points by participating and top players progress to qualify for Junior Grand Slams. Also, of the 36 in the Hawai'i girls draw, five are from Russia — second only to the U.S. in number of entrants.

In other news, the USTA Challenger that has been held at Hilton Waikoloa Village the past nine years will move to O'ahu and be played at CORP in January, during the second week of the Australian Open. This year's USTA Futures events are scheduled for October at Waikoloa and November on O'ahu.

FOOTBALL

BIG BOYZ YOUTH PLAYOFF GAMES SET

The first round of the Hawai'i Big Boyz Youth Tackle Football League playoffs will be tomorrow at Kalakaua Intermediate School. Admission is free.

The junior varsity game will feature the Halawa Trinity against the Kahuku La'ie Raiders at 10:00 a.m. The JV players are 9 to 12 years old and can weigh up to 250 pounds.

The varsity games (for players ages 13 to 15 and who can weigh up to 350 pounds) feature the Westside Hawaiian Warriors from Wai'anae against the Kalaeloa Spartans from Kapolei at noon and the Kalihi Disciples against the Halawa Trinity at 2 p.m.

BOWLING

FUKUDA ROLLS 3-GAME 834 SERIES AT 'AIEA

Aaron Fukuda of Kapolei bowled games of 269, 265 and 300 for an 834 series while participating in the Las Vegas Mixed Handicap League at 'Aiea Bowl on Monday.

"He's had 800s before and he's had a couple more 300 games also," said Mako Kobayashi, the league administrator, who added that Fukuda's average is 213.

Fukuda is the executive chef at Sam Choy's Diamond Head.