If you have been staying up late this week to watch the Australian Open, you have seen a preview of next week’s Maui Challenger.

American Michael Russell, who won the last Maui Challenger seven years ago, heads the field for this year’s return. Qualifying for the $50,000 USTA Pro Circuit event starts Sunday at Wailea Tennis Club, with main-draw matches Tuesday-Sunday from 10 a.m.

Russell, who also won on Oahu in 2010, is one of four players ranked in the world’s top 100 who will play at Wailea. Go Soeda, who won last year’s Challenger at Kailua Racquet Club, is also in double digits, along with Yen-Hsun Lu and Tatsuma Ito.

Russell just lost to fifth-seeded Tomas Berdych in the first round of the Australian Open, after winning the first set.

Soeda, from Japan, swept his first-round match before falling to seventh-seeded Jo-Wilfried Tsonga. Soeda beat Robby Ginepri in last year’s Honolulu Challenger final.

Ginepri won a 2003 Challenger here, following Andy Roddick (2001) and James Blake (2002) as Hawaii Pro Circuit champs.

Ito, also from Japan, defeated Australian John Millman in the opening round in Melbourne, then lost in four sets to 28th-seeded Marcos Baghdatis.

Lu, from Taipei, won his first match, then fell to Frenchman Gael Monfils.

Also coming to Wailea via Melbourne is American Tim Smyczek, who beat Ivo Karlovic before falling in four to fourth-seeded David Ferrer. Russian Alex Bogomolov and Rhyne Williams both lost in the first round, as did two-time NCAA champ Steve Johnson, who fell to 10th-seeded Nicolas Almagro in five sets.

Alex Kuznetsov, who reached two Challenger finals last year, won his first-round match in straight sets, then lost to South African Kevin Anderson, who just upset Fernando Verdasco.

Former Hawaii Pacific All-Americans Jan Tribler and Mikael Maatta are in Maui’s doubles main draw after winning their second Hawaii Triple Crown of Tennis in as many years. Wild cards into the singles main draw went to former Brigham Young-Hawaii player Rong Ma and current HPU player Peter Michnev. Rainbow Jonathan Brooklyn and Sea Warrior Gerald Moretti got wild cards into qualifying.

First prize in singles is $7,200, plus 80 ranking points.

Community events on Maui include junior clinics Monday and Saturday for the USTA’s 10 and Under Tennis initiative.