Honolulu Futures tournament starts
Advertiser Staff
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The main draw of the $15,000 Honolulu Futures tennis tournament begins tomorrow with doubles matches at 1 p.m. The singles main draw starts Tuesday with finals scheduled for next Sunday at the University of Hawai'i courts.
Qualifying is this weekend at UH. Hawai'i's Chris Lam, who played on UCLA's NCAA Championship team this year, and Malino Oda, a two-time state high school champion, now play professionally and earned spots in the qualifying with their rankings.
'Aiea brothers Derrick and Dennis Lajola are also in qualifying, along with other Rainbows (Derrick is a UH junior).
This is the 30th U.S. Tennis Association Pro Circuit men's Futures event of the season, and the third annual in Honolulu. The circuit holds close to 100 tournaments for men and women from all over the world each year.
Brendan Evans, 19, is defending his title in Honolulu. He is one of five players ranked in the top 400. Evans beat Wayne Odesnik here for his first pro title. Evans also won three of the four Grand Slam boys doubles titles last year, with Scott Oudsema.
Odesnik, 19, is the highest-ranked player here, at No. 297. He made his Grand Slam debut last year at the U.S. Open.
The finals of the Hilton Waikoloa Village Futures event are today at 10 a.m. on the Big Island.