Paul Goldstein, 27, won the inaugural Hilton Waikoloa Village USTA Challenger in 2000. He also captured the last two Challengers of 2003. He's ranked No. 107 in the world and back on the Big Island for the 2004 Challenger. It starts tomorrow at Waikoloa's Kohala Tennis Garden. For the first time, a $50,000 Women's Challenger will be run in conjunction with the men's event.

In 2001, Andy Roddick won at Waikoloa. He was ranked 155th when he collected the trophy, and 14th by the end of the year. Now, he's No. 1 in the world.

"I left there knowing I could beat anybody," Roddick said at the time.

A year later, James Blake came to the Big Island with a world ranking just inside 100. He won, and worked his way into three ATP finals that year — winning one — and a top-30 ranking. Then Blake joined Roddick on the U.S. Davis Cup team.

Robby Ginepri won at Waikoloa last January, and saw his ranking rise from 106 to 35 by the end of 2003. Now he's part of Waikoloa's Davis Cup contribution.

Along with Goldstein, the 32-player men's draw here includes Americans Brian Valhaly, Alex Bogomolov and Alex Kim, Germany's Tomas Behrend, ranked 87th, and Russia's Dmitry Tursunov, who is 98th. Tursunov upset Gustavo Kuerten in the first round of last year's U.S. Open.

Valhaly, 24, might be the most notorious name at Waikoloa. He's ranked 75th, is the only college graduate in the top 100, and was named one of People magazine's Sexiest Athletes.

Bogomolov, 20, is ranked 115th. Born in Russia and brought up in Miami, he played for the U.S. at the Pan Am Games and reached the quarterfinals at Waikoloa last year. He went on to win two Challengers and closed the year by getting engaged to WTA player Ashley Harkleroad.

Kim won the 2000 NCAA Championship in his junior year at Stanford. He's ranked 160th coming to Waikoloa where, like Goldstein, he's been a regular.

The women's event also features a singles draw of 32 and doubles draw of 16. There are players from nearly 20 countries, but the Americans might be among the most compelling stories.

Angela Haynes, 19, is from Compton, Calif., which is where Serena and Venus Williams grew up. She was ranked 851st at the end of 2002. She started 2003 by qualifying, then winning, a $10,000 circuit event. Haynes won two more titles and ended 2003 with a ranking of 184th.

Lindsay Lee-Waters, 26, from Georgia, is one of the few full-time mothers on tour. She won her eighth circuit event late last year and closed 2003 with two victories and a semifinal showing.

"We keep trying to up the ante in our efforts to bring professional tennis to Hawai'i," said Erik Vervloet, director of tennis at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. "Having the women here will definitely add a new dimension, as well as double the quantity and quality of top tennis for the fans to watch."

The USTA Pro Circuit has a 2004 schedule of nearly 100 events and offers more than $3 million in prize money. Players also earn ATP and WTA points based on finishes. More than 600 players from 50 countries compete.

Both championships will be at 10 a.m. on Super Bowl Sunday.