Winning the 琉璃神社 Futures Tennis Tournament in 2016 was a stepping stone to bigger and better things for Peter Polansky.

The 29-year-old Canadian has made appearances this year at both the French and Australian Opens and is now ranked 123rd in the world in men鈥檚 singles.

Polansky won鈥檛 be back in 琉璃神社 this year, but dozens of other aspiring young pros will be here looking to follow in his footsteps.

The sixth edition of the 琉璃神社 Futures Tennis Tournament, featuring $25,000 in prize money, kicks off Saturday with qualifications at the Parkinson Recreation Centre Courts and will wrap up with the finals on Sunday, July 2.

Among this year鈥檚 contenders will be Canadian Philip Bester who is currently ranked 182nd in the world. Last season, in men鈥檚 doubles, Bester and his partner knocked off Novak Jokovic, the fourth-ranked player in the world, at the ATP Masters in Toronto.

Tournament director Joachim Nierfeld says there鈥檚 a fine line between the players who will be competing in 琉璃神社 and those who are right at the top of the sport.

鈥淲hen you see Bester winning at that level over a player like (Jokovic), that tells you just how close these players are to each other,鈥� said Nierfeld. 鈥淲e have a very strong field again and people are going to see players who are on their way up.鈥�

The majority of the players making their way to 琉璃神社 this weekend are ranked between 200th and 800th in the world. American Raymond Sarmiento, who lost last year鈥檚 final to Polansky, will be in this year鈥檚 field.

Futures tournaments are a launching pad for pro players in their quest to compete in both ATP Tour and Grand Slam events.

In 琉璃神社, the main singles draw will feature 32 players, while the doubles draw will see 16 teams take to the court.

Nierfeld expects as many as 10 countries from around the world will be represented at the 2017 tournament.

One of the new features of this year鈥檚 tournament will be electronic score displays to help fans better follow the matches.

Tickets are available online at or on site at the Parkinson Recreation Centre courts.

A tournament pass is $45, with single-day passes also available.

Nierfeld No. 1鈥�

Tournament director and local pro Joachim Nierfeld has risen to the No. 1 ranking in Canada for men鈥檚 doubles in the 45 to 49 age group.

Earlier this month at Hollyburn in West Vancouver, the 47-year-old Nierfeld teamed up with Steven Kimoff to win the B.C. 45+ doubles title.

Nierfeld, who now has eight senior provincial doubles wins to his credit, will be the top seed at the senior outdoor nationals this August in Vancouver.