USTA Alabama Championship Procedures
2014 Championship Year
USTA Alabama is
comprised of twelve local leagues: Anniston, Auburn, Birmingham, Decatur,
Dothan, Gulf Shores, Huntsville, Mobile, Montgomery, Selma, Shoals and
Tuscaloosa. The USTA Alabama Championship Procedures will apply to all USTA
Alabama State Championships. When not stated in the Championship Procedures, the
National, Sectional and Alabama regulations and Friend at Court will apply.
Sectional
Championships
USTA Alabama
offers a state championship for each of the following programs:
-
USTA League
Adult 18 & Over
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USTA League
Adult 40 & Over
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USTA League
Adult 55 & Over
-
USTA League
Adult 65 & Over
-
USTA League
Mixed Doubles 18 & Over
-
USTA League
Mixed Doubles 40 & Over
-
Southern
Combo Doubles
-
Tri Level
-
Invitational Mixed 55 & Over
-
Invitational Combo 65 & Over
Team
Qualification
·
Local championship
teams will be allowed to advance to the USTA Alabama State Championships. If a
local championship team declines their invitation, then the state association
may offer the bid to the next priority team.
·
Wildcards will be
issued to fill up draws at the state championships. Additional wildcards may be
extended under discretion of the State League Coordinator.
Championship
Format
·
USTA Alabama
Championship format shall be round robin in all levels of competition.
Each team shall play every other
team in its flight, and the team with the most team points shall be champion in
its flight. Levels with two flight winners will offer a single elimination
finals match to determine the champion. For those levels that have three groups
the second place team or teams with the best record as determined from above
will be designated the wildcard. If a draw results in the second place team
playing against the first place team from its own group, the draw shall be
altered as follows: second place team shall exchange places with team from the
top line of the other semi-final.
Semi-finals will be played as
follows for those with three groups: Winner, Flight 1 vs Second place team,
Winner flight 2 vs Winner Flight 3.
If any of the flights have a different number of
teams, the procedures shall be determined as follows: Games. The team with the
highest percentage of games won by them vs. games played by them in their round
robin (2nd place teams only). Defaults received shall not count.
Eligibility
-
All players
must possess current USTA memberships through the conclusion of the USTA
Alabama State
Championship.
-
All players
must be prepared to present photo identification immediately upon request.
-
USTA League
Adult 18 & Over, Adult 40 & Over, Adult 55 & Over, and Mixed Doubles:
Players are eligible to advance to the state championship level competition
if that player has played on that same team in at least 2 matches during its
local league season. A maximum of 1 default received by the player during
local league competition shall count for advancing to State Championships.
o
A
minimum of eight (five for 2.5 & 5.0+ levels) team members who were on the final
roster of their Adult 18 & Over and/or Adult 40 & Over local league team at the
conclusion of local league play must be available and eligible to compete. The
Championships Tournament Committee, by majority vote, can reduce that number to
not less than four (three for 2.5 & 5.0+ levels).
o
A minimum of six team members who were on the final roster of their Adult 55 &
Over or Mixed Doubles local league team at the conclusion of local league play
must be available and eligible to compete. The Championships Tournament
Committee, by majority vote, can reduce that number to not less than four.
-
Adult 65 &
Over*, Southern Combo Doubles, and Tri Level*:
Team members are eligible to advance to championship level competition if
that player has played on that same team in at least 1 match (1 of which may
be a default received) during its local league season or state
championships.
-
A
minimum of six team members (three eligible pairings) who were on the
final roster of their local league team at the conclusion of local
league play must be available and eligible to combine and compete. The
Championships Tournament Committee, by majority vote, may reduce that
number to not less than four.
*Please refer to
2014 Alabama Rules and Regulations for full details on eligibility for Adult 65
& Over, Combo Doubles, and Tri Level.
Registration, and Entry Fee Requirements
-
Championship Entry Fee: $30.00 per player.
-
Players
should be registered on both TennisLink and the Alabama web site.
Scheduled
Matches
-
The captain
is responsible for checking his/her team in at the site of the match. When
all players are present and ready to play, the captain will turn in their
lineup at the site desk using one of the scorecards in the registration
packet. It is asked that captains turn in scorecards 30 minutes prior to
the start of their scheduled match.
-
If a team
has a known default, the opposing team will have the opportunity to revise
their scorecard once both scorecards are turned in and the default has been
announced by the site director.
-
In the
event of illness or injury prior to the start of an individual match (once
the line-up has been exchanged), a team may substitute a player in the
affected position within the 15-minute default time, using a player not
already listed on the line-up. If no such substitution can be made, the
affected position only will be defaulted.
-
If a
captain duplicates a name in error on a scorecard, a team may be allowed to
substitute a player for the duplicate name in the lower position (at the
discretion of the Tournament Committee), using a player not already listed
on the line-up. A substitution may only be made in the lower position if the
error is discovered before the match begins. If no such substitution can be
made, the affected position only will be defaulted.
-
The Point
Penalty System, which includes the 15-minute default time rule, will be
strictly enforced. Court monitors may be used to time warm-ups and
changeovers.
-
A
ten-minute warm-up will be observed which will include serves. The referee
may allow a five minute warmup in the event of a short inclement weather
delay.
-
Winners of
individual matches will take the balls and report the score immediately to
the site desk.
-
Captains
are expected to sign each scorecard after each scheduled match is completed
before leaving the tennis facility. Failure to sign the scorecard may result
in scores posted online only confirmed by opposing captain.
-
If a team
match is postponed following the exchange of line-ups, the original line-up
will stand for the make-up match UNLESS teams are released from the
tournament by the Tournament Director and/or Referee. If teams are released,
the line-up would stand only for those positions that have already started
(first service attempt) and all other positions (even those that were in
warm-up) may be changed including defaulted courts.
-
Tournament
Referees will not be used to make line calls or call foot faults.
Scoring
-
Each team
will receive 1 point for each team match won. In the event of a tie, the
tiebreak procedures will be total of individual matches, then head to head,
then least sets lost, then least games lost, then a coin toss. All scores
are final 48 hours after the conclusion of the tournament.
-
Coman
procedure will be used for all tiebreaks.
·
Results will be entered into Tennis Link throughout each day and can be viewed
on TennisLink.
·
All teams are expected to play all scheduled matches. Any team not complying may
be subject to grievance procedures. In accordance with USTA League Tennis
Regulations, any team forfeiting an entire team match for any reason will result
in all matches of that team previously played or to be played to be declared
null and void. If all teams in contention for the Championships have already
played the forfeiting team in good faith, the matches stand as played.
·
In the event of inclement weather and court availability issues,
matches in progress between teams that are no longer in contention will be
scored as retirements. The players leading in the set and/or game count will
receive the retirement. Courts that have not begun will be scored as double
defaults.
Teams that are not in contention for inclement weather issues may not
leave the championship without verbal permission from the Tournament Committee
and/or Referee.
Grievances
-
Forms are
available at each of the sites at the tournament desk. Completed grievance
forms must be presented to the Site Director at the site of the match within
30 minutes of the completion of the team match.
-
The
committees involved will handle all Grievances as promptly as possible.
Unless requested by the committee, only the captain and the player(s)
involved will be permitted at any hearings.
-
NTRP
Grievances filed within 21 days of the start date of the player’s and/or
captain’s state championship will be administered after the event unless the
section authorizes the administration of the grievance prior to that time.
If the grievance is not administered until after the event, points won by
players will stand.
·
A team forfeiting an
entire team match during championship play may receive further penalties imposed
by the Championship Grievance Committee.
·
Players on teams entered in the State Championships that withdraw after the
schedule has been published will be subject to a fine of $75 per person payable
to ATA. Any team that defaults a court throughout the championship is also
subject to the $75 fine unless excused by the tournament committee. Said
players will be ineligible to compete in any USTA League including Tri Level and
Southern Combo Doubles until the fine is paid. Appeals may be submitted to the
chairman of the Adult League Committee within one week of the said championship.
NTRP Dynamic
Disqualification
-
USTA
Southern follows national regulation 2.04E(2)c in that dynamic ratings will
be generated following the State Championships. Points earned by
disqualified players will stand. The disqualified player will not be
eligible to advance to the next level of competition.
-
NTRP
Grievances filed within 21 days of the State championship against anyone
participating in the state Championships will be administered after the
State Championships unless the USTA Southern Section Adult League Committee
Chair, Vice-Chair and Sectional League Coordinator authorize the
administration of the grievance prior to that time. If the grievance is not
administered until after the State Championships, points won by players will
stand. Disqualified players and/or captains that are suspended will not be
eligible to advance to the Sectional Championships.
Tournament
Cancellation Policy
-
Should
inclement weather or other circumstances prevent the completion of a State
Championship, the Tournament Committee will determine whether the matches
played at the point of cancellation will be used to determine round robin
group winners and a champion and finalist in each of the levels.
-
If the
Tournament Committee determines that there was a lack of "equal opportunity"
for all teams in the level due to the schedule of play, the Tournament
Committee will place all teams in a drawing to determine the champion and
finalist in each level. (For instance, in a five team round robin, one team
may be in first place at the time of cancellation with two matches played,
while other teams in the round robin have fewer matches played. This example
would not provide "equal opportunity" for all teams in the round robin and
would not be used to determine the round robin group winner). If any team in
a round robin flight is mathematically out of contention at the time of
championship cancellation, then those teams will be excluded from the
drawing.
Administration
-
Rain
Hotline Number: 1-800-592-1838
-
Tournament
Committee will use proper and fair judgment with regard to all State
tournament-related issues.
-
Tournament
Committee: To be appointed by Alabama State League Coordinator.
-
Championship Grievance Committee: To be appointed by Alabama State League
Coordinator.
-
Championship Procedures may be amended at Tournament Committee’s discretion.