The 21st annual AmSouth Bank Natchez Cancer Tennis Tournament will take place June 2-4 at the Duncan Park Tennis Courts.

&uot;It’s our biggest tournament of the year,&uot; said Frankie Spence, Duncan Park tennis pro. &uot;It is the tournament for the community.&uot;

A portion of the proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society and the rest will go to the community.

Approximately 180 to 220 players will compete in this year’s tournament.

&uot;That is about average,&uot; Spence said. &uot;Some years we have more.&uot;

Players from as far as Lafayette, La., New Orleans, and Memphis will be at the tournament.

&uot;Joel Lessley is coming from Alabama and he is bringing some players with him from there,&uot; Spence said.

The favorites in this year’s tournament will be Mark Thompson and Rick Covington.

&uot;They’ve won every year they’ve played here,&uot; Spence said.

Thompson and Covington, of Madison, Mississippi, won their third straight Men’s 9.5 Round-Robin Tournament and seventh in the last eight years in 1999.

Spence said to get ready for this tournament, &uot;You need to practice in the heat. You also need to drink lots of water before, during and after (each match).&uot;