ATP EVENT AT BRAEMAR.

Byline: Dave Shelburne Staff Writer

Braemar Country Club in Tarzana will be host for a men's professional tennis tournament this summer, former touring pro Vijay Amritraj announced Tuesday at Braemar.

Amritraj's First Serve Entertainment has been granted a USTA/ATP Tour Men's Challenger tournament, which will be played July 10-16 on the 20-court Braemar complex.

``This is a great opportunity to see some of the best young professional players from various parts of the world,'' said Amritraj, an Encino resident who plays occasionally at Braemar.

He is especially enthused that San Fernando Valley tennis fans will get to see upcoming young players ``before they go off and win the Australian Open.''

Challenger events carry ATP Tour ranking points and in the past have attracted such pros as Andre Agassi, whose comeback to his current No. 1 world ranking began with a Challenger event in Burbank.

Amritraj positioned his event at a time he hopes will attract more top players for Braemar's 32-man singles draw and the 16-team doubles competition. It immediately precedes a Challenger tournament in Northern California and is followed by the annual ATP Tour event in Los Angeles.

For information on the Braemar competition, phone [phone].