NATCHEZ — Natchez natives and longtime tennis players spent the past several days at a reunion of sorts while mixing in a little bit of tennis.

The fourth-annual Henry Harris tennis tournament drew more than 40 people to Duncan Park for the weekend. Harris, Duncan Park’s tennis director, said players from Oklahoma, Arkansas, Georgia, Texas and other parts of Mississippi — many of them players that Harris once coached — made their way to Natchez.

Natchez resident Vincent Washington, who has competed in the tournament every year its been hosted, said he always looks forward to seeing some old faces of people who have moved away.

“There a lot of guys who know each other from their childhood and college that come,” Washington said. “It’s a fun tournament that lets us get together at the end of tennis season where we can just enjoy playing, and it also lets us bring locals back to town. It’s like a reunion of sorts.”

Dwain Perkins, another Natchez resident, said playing tennis against these familiar faces helps bring out his competitive spirit.

“It’s a really enjoyable experience,” he said. “I get to see a lot of faces I haven’t seen in a while, and the competition is usually very good.”

Harris said the round robin tournament helps raise much-needed money for the local youth tennis program to purchase things such as racquets, tennis balls and shoes.

“We’re not out of the woods yet, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Harris said.

Perkins, whose son Dwain Perkins Jr. is on a tennis scholarship at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, said he’s happy to help support local youth tennis so others can learn the sport.

“My son came through the program, and it’s an extremely important one,” Perkins said. “It gives a lot of youth, especially black youth, a chance to learn the sport.

“Some kids may not have the talent to play sports like football, and not only are you teaching them an alternate sport like tennis, but you’re developing their game to where they can maybe earn a scholarship.”