2009 Adult/Senior Tournament Regulations

2009 Adult/Senior Tournament Regulations

I. Participants

All players must be current members of the USTA. Proof of membership must be presented to tournament officials. This may be done on site or by enclosing a copy of the membership card with the entry. Membership applications will be available at the tournament desk.

Tournament players are bound by the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section Code of Conduct Applicable to Adult/Senior Tournament Play (viewable on-line at www.midatlantic.usta.com). Players must make themselves available for play during the sanction period and may not enter a tournament they know they cannot finish. A player with a scheduling conflict may submit an application that includes an explanation of the conflict. Such a conditional application may then be either accepted or rejected by the tournament committee. Players are entitled to a refund of their entry fee if their entry is not accepted or if they withdraw before entries have closed. A player may not enter more than one tournament scheduled for any part of the same time period without the expressed written consent of each tournament director. The USTA Point Penalty System is in effect for all Mid-Atlantic sanctioned tournaments. Seeding information should be submitted with the entry. This is especially important for players new to the area or an age division. If a player has no current ranking or record, he/she should include any significant past records or rankings. A player who submits no seeding information may not expect to be considered for seeding.

Players who have entered one singles and one doubles event may not be required to violate the daily play limits set by Mid-Atlantic. Players participating in more than one age division shall be given a minimum of 30 minutes rest when required to play back-to-back matches. Players, at their option, may agree to a shorter rest period. For all adult divisions, except the Men's Open, a ten-minute rest period must be taken after the second set if either player or team requests it. A tournament may eliminate the rest period for Women's Open events if advance notice is given.

II. Tournament Formats

All Sectional tournaments to be used for USTA/Mid-Atlantic Rankings must use the best out of three tiebreak set format, with the following exceptions:

1. Tournaments affecting 70 and above may, at the discretion of the tournament director, employ a 10 point match tiebreak, in lieu of a third set. The intention to employ a 10 point match tiebreak must be set forth in the available tournament information, such as on the Mid-Atlantic website (www.midatlantic.usta.com), tournament entry forms, and the Tournament Handbook and/or Yearbook.

2. In the event of inclement weather affecting outdoor tournaments, the standard format may be modified to permit a 10-point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set and/or no-ad scoring.

3. “Shootout” tournaments, defined as tournaments limited to one-day play, may employ either a 10 point match tiebreak in lieu of a third set OR a single 8 game pro set with a tie-break played at 8 all.

EIGHT (8) GAME PRO-SETS ARE NOT ALLOWED FOR NATIONAL RANKING PURPOSES.

4. In NTRP tournaments, a 10-point match tiebreak may

be used at the discretion of the tournament

director.

TOURNAMENTS DEVIATING FROM THE PRESCRIBED TOURNAMENT FORMATS WILL NOT BE COUNTED FOR USTA/MID-ATLANTIC RANKINGS.

III. Daily Play Limitations for Adult Tournaments

IV. The Mid-Atlantic Adult Tournament Schedule

The Mid-Atlantic Adult tournament schedule consists of (1) Mid-Atlantic Championships; (2) State Championships; and (3) all other District tournaments. Each of these three types of tournaments are weighted differently in the computer ranking system as described below:

A. Mid-Atlantic Championships

Mid-Atlantic Championships are the only tournaments that are mandatory for a Mid-Atlantic ranking. These tournaments are played at various times throughout the year in a variety of different settings and surfaces (indoor, outdoor, clay court, hard court) in order to ensure players a number of chances at meeting ranking requirements.

B. State Championships

State Championships may be closed to non-residents. This includes the District of Columbia. All closed tournaments are identified in the schedule.

C. Local District Tournaments

These are all sanctioned tournaments that are not designated as Mid-Atlantic or State Championships. Results are included for Mid-Atlantic rankings.

D. NTRP Tournament Regulations & Ranking Requirements

1. Tournaments

a. There will be at least one Mid-Atlantic Sectional Championship. Each Mid-Atlantic District will have at least one “Regional” Championship and or a State/District Championship. These will be open to all

Mid-Atlantic players. A “regional” championship is defined as a major tournament within a region of a District. Designation of NTRP regionals will be determined by each District.

b. Players must use their current NTRP Rating. Self Rating is allowed only if the player does not have a current NTRP rating.

c. Scoring- standard scoring. A match tiebreak in lieu of the third set may be used.

d. For events without age restrictions, p;ayers must be allowed ten minutes rest period between second and third sets.

e. Only adults (19 years of age and older) are allowed admittance into any USTA/MAS NTRP tournament.

2. Criteria for NTRP Mid-Atlantic Rankings

a. One Sectional NTRP tournament and one other NTRP tournament.

OR

b. Three NTRP tournaments not at the Sectional level.

c. Ranking categories- Men’s and Women’s 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 singles and doubles

d. Preliminary Rankings and players records will be posted on the MAS website by Dec 31. All ranking protests must be received by January 15. Final rankings will be posted by February 1.

e. Membership/Residency Requirements, the Ranking System and Default Policy are the same as described under “Adult Ranking Requirements.”

NTRP tournament results will be included in year-end calculations for NTRP ratings.

V. 2009 Adult Ranking Requirements

A. Membership/Residency Requirements

To be considered for a Mid-Atlantic ranking, a player must be a USTA member in good standing at the close of the ranking year (December 31). The player must also maintain a residence or reside within the USTA/Mid-Atlantic Section for at least six consecutive months within the ranking year.

B. Ranking System

1. Preliminary Rankings for both singles and doubles age divisions are developed for each calendar year’s play, based upon the USTA STAR computer program. The STAR results are then reviewed by the Ranking Committee in arriving at Final Rankings. Tournaments are weighted as follows:

USTA/Mid-Atlantic Championships 75

State Championships 65

Local District Tournaments 50

2. Preliminary Ranking and Player Records

Preliminary Rankings and player records will be mailed to all qualified players and posted on-line at www.midatlantic.usta.com by mid-December. Players who have met the ranking qualifications and have not received a preliminary ranking, or who have received a player record containing inaccuracies, should contact the Mid-Atlantic Section office by December 31. Corrections to the record and player protests will be a part of the ranking process.

3. Final Rankings will be available on-line by the second week of February.

C. Default Policy

1. All completed matches and all matches in which a player is defaulted by an official or retires at any time after the first service of the match, are considered for ranking purposes. Any such default or retirement is counted as a loss. The tournament in which such default or retirement occurs is counted toward the minimum number of required tournaments for ranking purposes.

2. If a player defaults before the first service of a match, the match is not included in the STAR computer calculations. However, in reviewing a player's record for final ranking purposes, the Ranking Committee may take into account patterns of frequent defaults and adjust the player's ranking accordingly.

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