The Texas Summer Grand Slam tennis tournament will return to Bryan-College Station for the fourth consecutive year with the event's organizer hoping it will become a tradition.

About 850 players from around Texas will compete in the state's largest junior event, which will begin Friday afternoon and conclude June 19.

The entries are down slightly from last year's record of 900-plus, because United States Tennis Association requirements have made it more difficult to qualify for the Super Champs level event.

But tournament organizer Todd Taylor said there will be more matches this year because about 20 percent more players will be competing in doubles.

The eight-day tournament will include matches on 85 courts at nine sites, with all matches scheduled for Texas A&M after the field is sufficiently trimmed. Along with the A&M Mitchell Tennis Center and the Penberthy Intramural Courts, matches will be played at A&M Consolidated, Bryan and Rudder high schools, Aerofit, Briarcrest Country Club, Pebble Creek Country Club, Jane Long Middle School and Sam Rayburn Middle School.

There will be singles and doubles brackets for boys and girls with age divisions for 12-, 14-, 16- and 18-year-olds.

This will be the fourth year for Bryan and College Station to host the Grand Slam, which was held in Wichita Falls for the previous 20 years. USTA officials will accept bids in August to host the next two summers, and Taylor said his group will try to keep the event here.

The list of 10 entries from the Brazos Valley is led by College Station's Anik Cepeda, the highest-seeded player from the area at No. 9 in Girls 18 Singles and No. 5 in doubles with teammate Kourtney Howell of Cypress. Cepeda, who reached the Class 5A state final last month, has signed to play college tennis at William & Mary in Virginia.

Last year, Cepeda was the last area player remaining in the Slam, falling in the consolation quarterfinal round.

The Girls 18 field is topped by Blair Shankle of Comfort, who won the tournament last year in Girls 16. The second seed is Lilly Kimbrell of New Braunfels, who beat Cepeda in the UIL state final.

Other Brazos Valley entries include a couple of UIL state champions from Franklin. Kendra Casey, a member of the last three 2A mixed doubles champs, will play in Girls 18. Kayla Casey, who won the 2A girls singles crown last month as a freshman, also will play Girls 18. The third member of the Franklin contingent is Carrie Casey in Girls 16.

College Station entries include Carlos Aguilar and Nathan Cooner in Boys 18, Frankie Colunga in Boys 14, Kristina Raphael in Girls 14, and Marco Cepeda in Boys 12.

Brittni Fausett of Cameron, who reached the UIL Class 3A singles final as a senior, will play in Girls 18.