USTA Alabama Championship Procedures

2016 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.

State Championships

USTA Alabama offers a state championship for each of the following programs:

• USTA League Adult 18 & Over
• USTA League Adult 40 & Over
• USTA League Adult 55 & Over
• USTA League Adult 65 & Over Invitational
• 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, the state league coordinator may offer another team the opportunity for advancement.

·         Wildcards will be issued to fill 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.

*In the event that a team withdraws from the tournament or if all flights do not have an equal number of teams; the wild card team will be determined by a draw from the 2^nd place teams from each flight.

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 2016 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:  $35.00 per player that is non-refundable.

• Players should be registered on both TennisLink and the Alabama championship 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.
• No substitution may be made in an individual match after the line-up has been presented, except for injury to, illness of, or disqualification of a player prior to the start of such match, and except other circumstances listed in procedures.  If substitution is made during warm-up, the substitute player is entitled to a five minute warm-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.  Defaulted courts will stand for matches in progress.  If teams are released and play has not begun then the line-up may be changed including defaulted courts.
• Tournament Referees will not be used to make line calls or call foot faults.
• In the event of significant weather challenges, the Tournament Committee may use an alternate scoring match format, change court surfaces, play under lights, in order to complete the tournament.  See Alternate scoring document located on championship website.

 Scoring

• Each team will receive 1 point for each team match won.  Results will be posted in TennisLink.  To comply with national regulation 2.03H, in the event of a tie, the tie shall be broken by the first of the following procedures that does so: winner of the most individual matches, then winner of head to head match, then least sets lost, then least games lost, then a coin toss.  Please see national regulation 2.03H(1) for further information.  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.

·         If any team is released from the Alabama championships due to inclement weather and/or 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 may not leave the championship without verbal permission from the Tournament Committee.

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.

·         Teams entered in the State Championships that withdraw after the state entry deadline 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.  It is possible for any self-rated (S), appealed (A), dynamic disqualified (D), and/or early-start league (E or C) players to be dynamically promoted at his or her NTRP level.  (Please see National NTRP Dynamic Disqualification table for further details.) The promoted player will not be eligible to advance to the next level of competition.   Points earned by disqualified players will stand. 

  Tournament Cancellation Policy

§  During Round Robin Play

• Should inclement weather or other circumstances prevent the completion of a state championship or prevent round robin matches from starting by 5:00 PM on Sunday; the level/flight winners will be determined by the first of the following procedures that does so:

o    In the event a level or flight within a level consists of multiple round robins, the first place team will be determined by TennisLink standings at the conclusion of the most recent full round robin.  If a full round robin is not completed, the below-mentioned procedures would apply.

o    In the event that only one team in a round robin has a mathematical chance of finishing first, that team will be declared the winner of the round robin.

o   If more than one team has a mathematical chance of winning their round robin, and the first place team has already beaten the other teams with a mathematical chance of winning, the 1^st place team would be considered the round robin winner.

o   If a round robin winner cannot be determined, and each team in a round robin has been given the opportunity to complete a minimum of one team match, only teams with a mathematical chance of finishing first will receive an entry into a drawing.  Undefeated teams will receive a second entry into the drawing.

o   If a round robin winner cannot be determined, and each team in a round robin has not been given the opportunity to complete a minimum of one team match, each team will receive one entry into a drawing to determine the round robin winner.

§  During Playoffs

o   Should inclement weather or other circumstances prevent the completion of either the semi-finals or finals during the State Championship; the following procedures will be used:

o   If cancellation occurs before or during the semi-finals, all flight winners will receive two entries in the drawing and the best 2^nd place teams will receive one entry into the drawing to determine finalists. Any winning team that has completed their semi-final match will receive two entries into the drawing and the losing team will be excluded from the drawing.

o    If cancellation occurs once the finalists have been determined, but play has not begun, each team will receive an entry in the drawing to determine one state champion. 

o    The Tournament committee may keep both finalist teams at the site past 5:00 PM on Sunday to see if play can continue later that evening.

 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.