It’s December, so that means an annual tennis tradition will take place once again at the Manhattan Country Club. Hosted by First Break Academy, the sixth annual LA Tennis Bash is Saturday, December 9th and will allow SoCal residents the chance to partake in tennis and pickleball with the stars of the game past and present.

International Hall of Famer Tracy Austin leads a star-studded list of former and current pros in the annual fundraiser for the 501.c3 non-profit First Break Academy, which for the past nine years has provided scholarships and opportunities for disadvantaged youth in Southern California.

While tennis players will play live ball and take part in sponsor demo courts and hit for prizes courtesy of racket sponsor Yonex, Selkirk Sport has been named the official pickleball sponsor. Pickleball players will participate in live ball, demo paddles, and play with Wes Burrows and other pros, with the courts being led by Julio Rivera and Jon Neeter of Santa Monica Pickleball.

“The LA Tennis Bash is an event me and fellow pros look forward to each year because of the great work done by First Break Academy,” said Austin, whose son Dylan Holt serves on the First Break Academy Board of Directors. “First Break Academy has always been about giving back to the community by offering scholarships and tennis-playing opportunities for those who might not be able to afford it.”

Joining Austin on court will be American ATP World Tour players Denis Kudla, Steve Johnson, Bradley Klahn while WTA players currently on tour and from SoCal include Claire Liu, Gugu Olmos and Sabrina Santamaría. Rising ATP stars and SoCal residents Alex Michelsen, Zachary Svajda, Learner Tien and Brandon Holt are looking to be regulars on the ATP Tour as they work their way up the rankings. The 19-year-old Michelsen is coming off back-to-back wins on the ATP Challenger circuit and has broken into the top 100 after starting the year in the 600s.

Celebrities expected to attend include actors Boris Kodjoe, Timothy Olyphant, David Duchovny and former UCLA and NFL quarterback Josh Rosen, a South Bay native. The emcee for the day will be veteran sportscaster Erin Coscarelli.

First Break Academy co-founders Rick Buchta and Marc Lucero announced there were still spots remaining to play with the pros for the $500 donation fee, but that space is limited. Log onto www.latennisbash.org to reserve a spot today.

First Break Academy was named the USTA Southern California Section’s Community Organization Service Award winner in 2017.

Saturday’s schedule from 11:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. includes: