Section Pages

Tennis Ladders

Draws/Schedules Posted for Bruce Francis Memorial Tournament!
Draws and match schedules for all events of MCTA's annual Bruce Francis Memorial tournament at TCCP are now posted. This District Championship-level tournament offers NTRP-based events at all levels of singles and doubles. You can access the schedules from the tournament homepage by clicking here.

MAS Tournament Regulations

To be certain you are viewing the most current Adult/Senior Tournament Regulations applicable in Mid-Atlantic Section, always be sure to check the MAS website at: http://www.midatlantic.usta.com/adultsseniors/custom.sps?iType=1524&icustompageid=3057 for any updates. The 2009 regulations are reprinted below or you can download a PDF version by clicking here.

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 maybe used at the discretion of the tournamentdirector. TOURNAMENTS DEVIATING FROM THE PRESCRIBED TOURNAMENT FORMATS WILL NOT BE COUNTED FOR USTA/MID-ATLANTIC RANKINGS.

III. Daily Play Limitations for Adult Tournaments

Divisions	Max # Matches	Rest Between
Open, 30, 35, 40, 45s	2 Singles & 1 Doubles or 1 Singles & 2 Doubles or 3 Doubles	1 hr/Singles & Singles or 1 hr/Singles & Doubles or 1 hr/Doubles & Doubles
50s or 55s	2 Singles or 1 Singles & 2 Doubles or 3 Doubles	1.5 hrs/Singles & Singles or 1 hr/Singles & Doubles or 1 hr/Doubles & Doubles
60s or 65s	2 Singles or 1 Singles & 1 Doubles or 2 Doubles	2 hrs/Singles & Singles or 1.5 hrs/Singles & Doubles or 1.5 hrs/Doubles & Doubles
70s or 75s	1 Singles & 1 Doubles or 2 Doubles	2 hrs/Singles & Doubles or 1.5 hrs/Doubles & Doubles
80s or 85s	1 Singles & 1 Doubles or 2 Doubles	2 hrs2 hrs
Players participating in more than one age division shall be given a minimum of 30 minutes rest between matches. Playing 16 or more games of singles, or 20 or more games of doubles to complete a match carried over from a preceding day may be counted, at the players option, toward the above limits.

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

C. Local District TournamentsThese 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 State/District Championship. These will be open to all Mid-Atlantic players. (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. The Mid-Atlantic Sectional Championship shall be two (2) out of three (3) tie-break sets. A match tiebreak in lieu of the third set may be used for other tournaments. One-day, alternate-format tournaments may also be sanctioned (see the NTRP Point Chart). (d) For events without age restrictions, players 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 NTRP tournament held within the Section.

2. Criteria for NTRP Mid-Atlantic Rankings: (a) The Points per Round System will be used to calculate NTRP player standings. (b) A player must have at least one match win to be included on the Standing List. (c) A player’s three (3) best tournament results will be included in their Standing. (d) Ranking categories include- Men’s and Women’s 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 and 4.5 singles and doubles. (e) Standings Lists will be posted monthly. Players should review their record and notify the Section office of any discrepancies. (f) Preliminary Rankings 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. (g) Membership/Residency Requirements 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. Adults – 2009 Singles & Doubles: Men’s & Women’s 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0 & 4.5, 5.0 Levels, Mixed 2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, 5.0 Doubles Combo Doubles

Adult Divisions
Point System for 2009
Main Draw Finish	400 Point	200 Point	100 Point	50 Point
				Half Day events/alternate format
1	400	200	100	50
2	300	150	75	40
3/4	250	125	60	30
5-8	200	100	50	25
9-16	150	75	35	20
17-32	100	50	25	0
33-64	50	25	10	0
64-128	30	20	5	0

In NTRP Divisions: player’s “best 3” tournament results in a Ranking period are counted. A player can play as many events as he/she wants, but only the results from the “best 3” will be used in determining the rankings. Playing additional tournaments cannot hurt your record.
400 Point Tournament = MAS Section Championship
200 Point Tournament = Regional, District or State Championship
100 Point Tournament = Open Tournaments
50 Point Tournaments = Half-Day Events

V. 2009 Adult/Senior 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 (non-NTRP divisions)

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.