The 37^th Annual Milwaukee Tennis Classic kicks off play at 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 14 at the Town Club, 7950 N. Santa Monica Blvd, Fox Point. This is a family-friendly fun event you’re not going to want to miss!

Founded in 1975, the three-day Classic reigns as the nation’s longest-running national intercollegiate tennis tournament for men and women outside the NCAA Championships and as the only national tennis tournament held annually in Wisconsin.

The historic Town Club has hosted prestigious tennis events throughout most of its history, starting with the Annual Wisconsin Open Championships in 1904 and including the National Clay Courts in the late 1960s. It boasts 15 meticulously maintained clay courts on which the MTC will be played.

Round-robin competition among players from seven universities runs through Sunday, Sept. 16 with matches scheduled at 9 and 11 a.m., 1 and 3p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 9 and 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

Marquette, Wisconsin, Ball State and DePaul will be represented on the men’s side; Marquette, Detroit Mercy, Western Michigan and Xavier on the women’s.

Peruse the rosters and you’ll find players from 19 countries – a veritable United Nations – among the competitors. In addition to the United States, these players hail from Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, France, Germany, the Republic of Georgia, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, Russia, Serbia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and Uzbekistan.

The tournament, hosted by the Marquette University and the Town Club, is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available for purchase at the Town Club Open Café during the event.

The event is sponsored by Marquette University and Journal Sentinel, Inc. is the media sponsor.