Details have been finalized for two $15,000 Futures tournaments in November, on O'ahu and the Big Island. Waikoloa will run a women's Challenger concurrently with its annual men's Challenger in January. The USTA hopes to have three Futures here next year, adding one on Maui.

Futures and Challenger events are part of the USTA Pro Circuit, the largest developmental tennis circuit in the world, with more than 100 tournaments annually. Players compete for prize money and rankings points.

Futures are for men ranked outside the top 150 in the world. No one ranked in the top 20 can enter a Challenger.

Hilton Waikoloa Village has been the sole Hawai'i home for world-class tennis since it started its Challenger in 2000. The resort salvaged this year's Challenger after the promoter declared bankruptcy a month before it was to begin, with general manager Dieter Seeger intent on "making it part of the community."

The addition of the two Futures events and the women's Challenger also is directed at Hawai'i's diverse tennis community.

Each of the four events will be preceded by a "Wild Card" weekend that allows Hawai'i players an opportunity to get into the tournament. The winner of O'ahu's — Oct. 3-5 at Turtle Bay Resort — gets a spot in the 32-player Futures main draw.

Each event will also feature a Schools Day, Special Populations Day and Kids Day. The USTA will bus kids in for the first two, offer them a morning clinic, lunch and a reserved seat for afternoon matches. Kids Day is a free Saturday clinic.

Ideally, the tournaments will create a "spark" Ron Romano says he found lacking when he became USTA/HPS Executive Director two years ago. They are an ideal forum for the community events the USTA covets, provide businesses a chance to support the sport and give Hawai'i more opportunities to see high-level tennis, encouraging more to play tournaments.

The sudden boom in professional events is something Hilton Waikoloa Village envisioned years ago. "Waikoloa, more than anybody," Romano said, "stepped forward and took the initiative."

This is still a surprise. Waikoloa's former promoter couldn't find a title sponsor for the Challenger or a women's tour event he had to abandon after one year. Romano says he saw "much potential," but those events "were not run properly." He adds that Hilton Waikoloa has already secured "significant sponsorship" for its January Challengers.

Romano is confident the Futures events won't be a financial burden. The purses are smaller and, like the Challengers, substantially covered by the USTA. Futures players also must find their own housing, unlike those in the Challengers.

Romano calls the tournaments a "tremendous partnership" between Hilton Waikoloa and the USTA. The resort will promote its own events, as it did in January, and the USTA will advise, provide statistical help, officials, volunteers and organize the community events.

The idea of adding a women's Challenger was proposed by Brian Earley, USTA's Director of Professional Circuits.

According to Romano, "the women's events seem to attract more interest than the men now."

Waikoloa was quick to host the tournament.

"Waikoloa jumped on it. It didn't even hesitate," Romano said.

The Challengers' dates coincide with the second week of the Australian Open. Most of the previous players came directly from Melbourne, including champions Andy Roddick and James Blake, who now play Davis Cup for the United States.

Romano says success will be measured in the number and caliber of the players and community participation.

The O'ahu event will not be played at the largest and newest public facility on the island. Until the tennis complex at Central O'ahu Regional Park has its second phase in, it cannot be used for the USTA Pro Circuit. It doesn't have showers, rooms for a trainer, a players' lounge and a volunteer area.

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