Adult/Senior Ranking Rules, Regulations And Requirements

ADULT/SENIOR RANKING RULES, REGULATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS

Tournament Regulations

1. Players’ Implicit Consent Players competing in USTA MS sanctioned events are expected to comply with The Code of the USTA and to avoid acts that are detrimental to the game of tennis. It is a player's responsibility to know and understand the rules of tennis. It is also the player’s responsibility to know and understand these Rules and Regulations. The USTA Middle States section is a nonprofit organization comprised of volunteers and full time staff. By accepting entry into a USTA-Middle States sanctioned event, players and their entourage shall hold harmless the USTA-MS Section, its volunteers, USTA-MS staff, as well as its Tournament Directors, Referees, Organizational Members and Tennis facilities from all liability which might result from errors that were not made in bad faith in the running of such sanctioned event. If a player is improperly permitted to enter a tournament and subsequently is forced to be disqualified due to ineligibility the only remedy available to the player shall be the return of their entry fee.

2. Ranking Season The ranking year begins on January 1 and ends on December 31. Adult rankings will be posted on a monthly basis. 12 month rolling standing lists will be published January – August. Tentative Ranking Lists will be posted beginning September 1.

3. Age Eligibility Adult and Senior divisions (35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 85, 90) are open to players who have reached or will reach the minimum age limit of that division on or before the last day of the ranking season as defined above. Open division are open to players of all ages. NTRP level tournaments (2.5, 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0) are open to players who are or will be 18 before the last day of the ranking season as defined above.

4. USTA MS Residence Only players with a legal residence (defined by the address on their USTA membership card) or who are establishing a legal residence in the USTA MS are eligible for a USTA MS ranking. A Family Doubles team is entitled to be considered for a USTA MS ranking if either member of the team resides in USTA MS. NOTE: The USTA MS encompasses Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey (exclusive of a 35-mile radius around New York City) and northwestern West Virginia. Please refer to the New Jersey district and Allegheny district pages, respectively, for the listings of New Jersey and West Virginia counties encompassed by USTA MS.

5. USTA Membership Players must be enrolled with the USTA as an adult member, junior member, family member, life member or honorary member and in good standing at the close of the ranking year to be considered for ranking.

6. Starting Times It is the responsibility of the player at all times to ascertain the starting times of matches. Ranking Process and Appeals

Rankings: A numerical comparison of the won-lost records of a group of players competing in a specific age division, during a specific year, covering a specific set of tournaments.

USTA MS uses the USTA Points Per Round computerized ranking program. If the data inputted into this program is correct and the parameters entered by the Adult Ranking coordinator are correct then all data is final. The Points Per Round calculations themselves cannot be appealed. The exact point tables are to be determined by the Adult Competition committee and will be posted to the Middle States Web site. Once reviewed by the Competition Coordinator, rankings as determined by the Points Per Round computerized program will be honored.

APPEALS: An appeal based on factual error must be directed, in writing, to the Competition Coordinator, no later than ten (10) days after the tentative rankings have been published to the Internet.

Ranking Rules & Criteria The following criteria are factors used in determining rankings:

A. Standings and final year-end rankings will be based on the best four tournaments in a twelve-month period.

B. Fulfillment of requirements in the division the player/team wishes to be ranked.

C. USTA MS designated Sectional Championships and prize money events will be weighted more than a regular event.

D. Points for Interdistrict events will be based on the position played for each player on the team.

E.. All byes count as a win. Any division with three or fewer teams/players will be formatted as a round robin.

F. Retiring after play commences or defaulting in a tournament is considered as a loss on a player’s record.

G. All matches in USTA MS sanctioned events, within any given ranking division, will be considered for ranking in that division. Men’s and women's Interdistrict events will count as one of the required number of sanctioned events, provided the player/team participates in at least two (2) matches of the competition (i.e. Two singles matches must be played to fulfill a singles tournament requirement; two doubles matches must be played to fulfill a doubles tournament requirement.). Participation in only one match would not be sufficient to count Interdistricts as a required event, however, that individual match would still be used for ranking purposes.

H. In ranking any division, results from other divisions will not be considered. I. An “Insufficient Data” category may be used for players or teams who fail to qualify for a ranking but whose record, in the opinion of the Competition Coordinator, would qualify them to be ranked. The Competition Coordinator may, at his/her discretion limit the "Insufficient Data" category to only those players/teams who would qualify to be ranked in the top 25 or 50 percent of the division.

J. USTA national tournaments and national intersectional team events do not count as one of the required events for sectional ranking. These events count towards USTA national ranking.

K. Alternate Scoring: Examples of Alternate scoring which will be considered for ranking purposes are: Use of a Tie-break in Lieu of a third set, No-Ad Scoring, Eight Games Pro-Set, Compass Draws, “Short” sets. Any tournament choosing to use any of these types of alternate scoring shall announce the method to be used on the entry form, in their tournament listing, and before the start of tournament play.

L. NTRP Divisions - To be eligible to play in NTRP events, a player must have a NTRP rating equal to or lower than the rating for the division entered. Players who do not have verified ratings from USTA League Tennis play, must self-rate in accordance with NTRP guidelines.