One of the Huskies’ most anticipated tennis tournaments of the year, the Nordstrom Tennis Center Open begins this weekend.

Although it is an exhibition event that does not go in the record books, it’s a chance for the Huskies to become acclimated to tournament play by facing off against teammates as well as local players.

“There is a lot stiff competition from local juniors as well as Husky alumni,” sophomore Skyler Tateishi said. “I am very anxious to see how things unfold for the Dawgs this weekend.”

Last year’s champion, former Husky Daniel Chu, who hails from Vancouver, B.C., will be returning to Seattle to defend his title this year. He, along with his former doubles partner Alex Slovic, share the all-time record at Washington for the most career doubles wins at 83 each.

However, the NTC Open is a singles-only competition. Chu will have to anticipate some major challengers this year vying for the top spot. The field includes the entire Husky men’s tennis team roster, most notably senior Patrik Fischer and sophomore Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan, the top two players on the Washington singles lineup.

“A lot of the guys on the team have been playing really well, and are expected to make it pretty far in the tournament,” Tateishi said.

According to Tateishi, the NTC Open is an exciting way to begin play without the results actually counting.

“I think that it’s a great opportunity for all of us on the team to get in some quality matches in a pressured situation,” he said.

Reach reporter Sheena Nguyen at sports@dailyuw.com.