Don't be alarmed. That cloud you see descending on the Bryan-College Station area is just 850 of Texas' top tennis players who are set to compete in the week-long Texas Summer Grand Slam.

The largest junior tennis tournament in the nation will kick off at 3 p.m. Friday with doubles play. Over 1,600 matches will be played over the ensuing week, with the tournament finals set for June 17-18.

There are more matches played at the Grand Slam than any other junior tournament.

"This is a great event," tournament director Todd Taylor said. "We're glad to be back in the B-CS area and look forward to some great tennis."

For the fifth straight year, B-CS will host the Grand Slam. The sheer scope of the tournament means that every available court in the area will be used starting Saturday. By Tuesday, though, the numerous brackets for each division will be whittled down enough to be held at Texas A&M's Mitchell Tennis Center.

To be eligible for the tournament, high school tennis players have to be from Texas and be competing at the USTA's super champion level. That means the very best junior players in Texas will be on the area courts this week.

Two local players are in the event -- A&M Consolidated's Marco Cepeda and Frankie Colunga.

A&M's men's and women's tennis programs are entwined with the Grand Slam. Aggies Marcus Lunt, Austin Klores, Colin Hoover, Calon Alpar, Alberto Bautista, Sheri Oliver, Stephanie Davidson and Lauren Santacroce each participated in the Grand Slam before signing with A&M.

Taylor says the community has embraced the tournament. The City of College Station sponsored a dinner Sunday night for all the participants at The Zone Club at Kyle Field.

"We really appreciate the city's support," Taylor said. "It's great to give these kids the opportunity to have a really nice dinner in a neat location."