Evans says a record 160 entries have been received in singles and doubles events for 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 and 18-year-olds to be staged at three venues.
The Hawke's Bay Lawn Tennis and Squash Club, which boasts a recently laid internationally rated surface court, is the "mothership".
The other clubs to stage matches are Nelson Park Tennis Club and Greendale Tennis Club.
"As you can imagine, with over 100 of the entrants coming from out of town this will provide a great economic boost to Napier," he says, emphasising Napier City Council's strategic support for the Kennedy Park resort to provide accommodation.
"We want to make this a memorable event for our visitors so they come back next year."
The Greendale club will host a prize-giving barbecue ceremony and discotheque for the teenagers on Wednesday night at the Taradale Sports Association rooms.
For Verhoeven it's time to put into practice what she has been learning from fellow Hawke's Bay Lawn Club member and coach Simon Winter during group sessions for boys and girls.
"He's coached me since I was little and I've enjoyed it," says the 13-year-old Napier Intermediate pupil who is bound for Napier Girls' High School next year.
Whether Verhoeven will ever reach the giddy heights of international circuit tennis at junior or senior level remains to be seen but what she is adamant about is to give herself every chance to gauge her worth in the sport.
"I want to keep sitting with tennis and see where it takes me."
She was crowned the Bay women's Open singles champion in March this year and the No 2 seed's toughest challenge next week will come from No 1 Marie Reid, of Waikanae, in the 16s grade and No 1 Ella Wells, of Manawatu.
The tennis genes come from her father, Lex, the strategic manager at Hastings District Council and Bay club member.
Her brother, Jacob Verhoeven, 17, of Napier Boys' High School, is an aspiring player who has been rooming and competing with fellow Bay campaigners Andrew Shand and Albert Rocard during the Pascoes NZ Championship in Hamilton this week.
Rocard will play next week as top U18 and U16 boys' seeds but Shand is out.
"I was about 5 when I started playing. I wanted to take it more seriously when I was about 10," says Lily Verhoeven who gravitated towards hockey as a team sport and chose the racquet-ball game as an individual one.
Travelling as far north as Auckland and south as Wellington to compete adds to the excitement in tennis as well as meeting new people.
The Collier Cup girls' hockey team captain also is a Bay tennis rep who has competed in Tennis Waikato-Bays national tourney where the team came third this year.
Verhoeven prefers singles matches but has no qualms about playing in the doubles events.
"It can be a bit more challenging in doubles because you have to work together."
After clinching the Bay schools' title this year, she went to the North Island Championship in Hamilton where she finished eighth.
TOP SEEDS
For next week's Kennedy Park HB International Junior Tournament in Napier (number denotes age):
18 boys: No 1 seed Albert Rocard, of Napier Boys High, No 2 Ricki Cowan, of Tauranga, No 3 Andrew Clifford, of NBHS.
18 girls: No 1 Jess Anderson, Hastings Christian School, No 2 Hinewai Hosford, of St Joseph's College.
16 boys: No 1 Albert Rocard, No 2 Andrew Clifford, of NBHS.
16 girls: No 1 Marie Reid, of Waikanae, No 2 Lily Verhoeven, of Napier Intermediate, No 3 Jess Anderson.
14 boys: No 1 Kurt Amey, of Feilding, No 2 Jake Naylor, of Lower Hutt. Wildcards No 6 Daniel Rowe, of NBHS, and Isaac Hinton, of Karamu High School.
14 girls: No 1 Ella Wells, of Manawatu, No 2. Lily Verhoeven, No 3 Riley Knapp, of NGHS, No 4 Sophia Nash, of NGHS.
12 boys: No 1 Luke Winter, of Havelock North Primary, No 2 Mick Reid, of Waikanae, No 3 Ryan McNulty, of Cave (South Canterbury), No 4 Hunter Every, of Hereworth School.
12 girls: No 1 Samantha Cave, of Woodford House, No 2 Lucy Xu, of Takapuna, No 3 Ruby Roberts, of Havelock North Intermediate.
10 boys: No 1 Rafael Pettersson, of Havelock North Primary, No 2 Hunter Every.
10 girls: No 1 Alex Macesic, of Taranaki, No 2 Abby Ross, of Taranaki. Wild card Alexandra Cave, of Puketapu School.
