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USTA
Tournaments and Rankings
Frequently Asked
Questions
Definitions
for Abbreviations in the Jr. Tournament Schedule and Rankings:
“s”= singles
“d”= doubles
“SE"= single elimination
MFIC = modified feed in
consolation
FIC Full feed in consolation
General
Tournament Information
Question Index
How do I enter a Tournament?
Why do I need a USTA Membership?
How long can I play in my age division?
What are the different Levels of tournaments
available for juniors in Eastern?
Brief description of Tournament Levels .
What does “doesn’t count towards ranking”
mean?
How are players selected for each tournament?
Who makes the seeds for the tournaments?
Who makes the
draws for the tournaments?
What
determines my seeding in a tournament?
What’s the difference between a ranking and a
standing?
What is a
Regional Ranking?
What is a
Sectional Ranking?
What is a
National Ranking?
How are standings calculated?
Do I have to play
six (6) tournaments to
get a standing?
What is a
combined Sectional Final Ranking?
Do Ranking points in one age group carry over to the next age group?
Do I have to COMPLETE a tournament in order for it to count?
Do I earn points for matches won prior to a
walkover?
How do I earn Bonus Points?
To enter a tournament, make sure your USTA membership
is current or sign up for a membership. Then,
click here
for the eastern tournament schedule and select a tournament. To
register please fill out entry application form and mail/fax into
tournament director
Junior Tournament Application
or
use the online registration system if available. This must be done
before the entry deadline.
Please find out ahead of
time if the Tournament Director will allow you to fax the
application and if the facility accepts credit cards.
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USTA
membership is required for all entrants in USTA-sanctioned
tournaments. USTA membership also provides many benefits, including
a variety of discounts, entry to special events and early access to
professional tournament tickets. You can click on the links below or
call
1-800-990-8782:
Benefits of USTA Membership
Enroll or Renew Now
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You may play in your age
division up until the last day of the month before you "age out."
For example, if you are 12 years old and are going to turn 13 in
May, you may play in the 12-and-under division until the last day in
April.
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There are 3 Levels of competitive
junior tournaments in Eastern. Level 1 (L1) and Level 2 (L2)
tournaments awards points for the round a player reached. Level 1
(L1) and +Level 1 (+L1) tournaments award the most points and Level
2 (L2) tournaments the least.
Click here to view the 2008 Eastern Point Tables.
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+L1 Eastern Designated Closed
tournaments are the most competitive events and offer endorsement to
National Championships and National Team Events. These are two
weekend events (the first weekend is qualifying weekend, except with
the SE (single elimination) and the second weekend is the main
draw. The results count towards a player's National and Eastern
standing. These tournaments are closed to Eastern residents and US
Citizens ONLY. Proof of citizenship and residency must be sent into
the Eastern office before playing in this tournament.
LEVEL 1 (L1)
tournaments are the next most competitive events offered. These
events are Open to everyone.
LEVEL 1B (L1B)
tournaments also count towards a player's Eastern standing only.
These are for the more experienced tournament players. These events
are Open to everyone.
LEVEL 2R or L2O
tournaments results count towards a player's Eastern standing and
Regional standing only. These are for players ranging from their
first competitive experience to those aspiring to the higher levels.
L2R events are restricted by geographic location and L2O are open to
everyone.
Level 3 (L3)
tournaments are round robins events. Results from these tournaments
DO NOT count towards a ranking. These tournaments are great for
juniors who are beginning their competitive tennis careers. These
events are Open to everyone.
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Eastern only counts your best 6 tournaments from the past 12 months,
if one of your tournaments reads “doesn’t count towards ranking”
then it is not one of your best 6.
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Players register for a specific tournament. After
the entry deadline players are selected based on the most current
standings.
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The seeds for all levels of junior tournaments
are determined by the designated ranking chairs and based on the
most current sectional standings.
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All +L1, L1, and L2
tournament draws are made by the software program, Tournament Data
Manager. It is a simple click of a button.
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USTA Eastern seeds ALL
tournaments based on the most current sectional standings.
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Although people sometimes use them
interchangeably, rankings are not the same as standings. Rankings
are final, year-end figures that quantify a player’s performance
during that calendar year. These are published at the end of the
year.
Standings, on the other hand, refer to a player’s
current position within his or her division based on tournament
results received to date. Standings can and do fluctuate throughout
the year depending on players’ match results and birthday
eligibility. These lists are published every month.
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USTA Eastern uses the USTA Tournament Data
Manager (TDM) Points-per round ranking program to compute standings.
Players are ranked on their merit in Points-per-round. The round a
player reaches determines how many points he or she receives. Junior
singles standings are calculated on a 12-month rolling basis, i.e.
his or her best 6 tournament results, 2 of which can be National
tournaments from the past 12 months, regardless of calendar year,
are considered. Significant wins points are awarded for players who
beat a player ranked 50 or better from the previous month’s standing
list. Who a player beats, exposure and good wins and losses are not
criteria in this system.
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REGIONAL SINGLES
FINAL RANKINGS FOR ALL AGE DIVISIONS:
Long Island
Singles Final Ranking will be based on the best Six (6) regional
tournaments played during calendar year. All eligible players
who reside in the Long Island Region, who have won at least one
match and played at least four (4) Level 2 Long Island Regional
(L2R) one (1) of which can be a Level 2 Open (L2O) will have a
Ranking.
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How often do
Regional Standing Lists get posted?
Every 6 months. These
lists are NOT used for seeding purposes.
Back to index.
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No, you do not have to
play six (6) tournaments to get a standing. Once you win a match in
a USTA Eastern-sanctioned tournament and those results are entered
in the database, you will be on the next standings list published.
You may play 1 tournament or 30; only your best 6 results in a
12-month period will count towards a standing.
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NO.
You do have to play one match or retire in order for the tournament
to count towards ranking or endorsement requirements, however you
don’t need to play a match/retire in the main draw and in the
consolation.
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YES.
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Sectional Combined Final
Rankings for all age divisions
(BG10-18) will be based on the best six (6) tournaments played
and completed, in the age division they are seeking a ranking,
during the calendar year. Only a player’s best two (2) national
results will count in the final rankings. In addition, points
earned in doubles competition during the ranking year will form
one final point. Players must accumulate at least 100 ranking
points during the calendar year and have played at least four
(4) Level 1 (L1) and/or Level 1B (L1B) and or (+L1) Eastern
tournaments in order to earn a year end singles section ranking.
Results from regional events count for both a regional and
sectional ranking. Participation in regional events, however,
cannot be counted in the minimum number of tournaments required
for sectional ranking.
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Ranking
points do not carry over into the older group when a player
ages up. However, points carry “down”, so for example if a
player is still 10, played a 12's and won a match, the
points would count in his 10s record. He would automatically
be entered into the 12s standings list.
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Bonus points are based on the starting date of the tournament and
the prior month’s standing list. For example, a tournament with a
start date in Jan. will use a Dec. standings lists to determine the
bonus points earned in a Jan. tournament.
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Players need to follow
the on-line registration procedures for these events. Unless it’s a
Team event in that case you will receive an invitation in the mail.
The Eastern endorsement lists will be published at the end of that
endorsement period. There are
required tournaments as based on endorsement information. It is
necessary that the required tournaments are played to completion. A
tournament is deemed completed if a player plays or retires in
his/her last scheduled match.
No waivers are
given for any reason. If for some reason you are unable to meet
endorsement requirements Wildcard Applications are available in the
USTA Eastern office.
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USTA Eastern Section Rankings and Standings
We try to update the sectional standings
every month. These standings will reflect all results received from
tournament directors by that time. Obviously, if there is a delay in
receipt of results from a tournament director, that event will not
be part of the standings, though it will be calculated as soon as we
receive it.
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Sometimes standings
change regardless of your participation in an event. This usually
happens at the beginning of a new month, when players "age out,"
becoming ineligible for standings in a certain division. We also
discard results from more than 12 months ago and recalculate the
standings. For example, your standing in October may change in
November even if you don’t play because your (and everyone else’s)
results from the previous October stop getting calculated.
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It all depends on how
soon after an event the tournament director sends the results in to
the section office or publishes them on-line. Depending on how many
tournaments were hosted on that weekend, it can take a few more days
to get all the results into the computer. Remember that each year we
sanction more than 500 events in more than 50 divisions so the
amount of information we receive each day is enormous. We try to get
all results up and calculated as quickly as possible.
Yes. Refer to the
point tables.
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The system gives greater
rewards to a player's success in the main draw.
Yes. This includes L2
events, all Boys’ and Girls’ 10 tournaments, and qualifying rounds
in +L1 Designated Closed Tournaments.
The point tables are
structured in such a manner to prevent players from playing in weak
tournaments and racking up points. A player can only use his or her
best 6 results in a 12-month period to count towards a standing.
No matter what size
draw, 0 points are earned for losing. Thereafter the points earned
are based on the round reached according to the points table.
This list includes any
out of section players who Eastern players played at a National
Tournament or any of our Eastern tournaments that are open to
everyone. It also includes anyone who ages out in the upcoming
month.
A maximum of two (2)
national events can count towards the best six (6) tournament
results in the standings calculation.
No. In Points-per-round,
players have several opportunities to play tournaments. If a player
is injured he or she will have time to come back after the injury
and improve his or her position by playing tournaments. If a player
is injured for a prolonged time period (2-4 months), he or she can
play the National Open to qualify for a National Championship.
1. A player whose best
event has the highest number of points, second best, third best, etc
through eight events.
2. Best random draw number.
Please submit any corrections [include your name
and USTA number, the tournament ID#, name and dates of the
tournament, the division you played in and opponents' name(s)] to
Lauren
Bull, Assistant to Junior Competition.
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