USTA Southern Section Arkansas

Junior Team Tennis Rules And Regulations

USTA Jr. Team Tennis League

The USTA Jr. Team Tennis League is a team competition for girls and boys of specific NTRP Levels of play and age categories. The purpose of the program is to provide organized recreational play with an emphasis on local competition and advancement for winning teams from local competition to area, district, state, section, or national championships. The team concept emphasizes fun, fitness, and friends. The USTA Jr. Team Tennis League shall be conducted without regard to race, creed, color, sexual orientation, national origin, or socioeconomic status.

Age Categories

USTA Jr. Team Tennis is divided into five age categories: 18 & under, 14 & under, 12 & under, 10 & under, and 8 & under. All age divisions advance to the State Championship.

Levels of Play

18 & under, 14 & under, 12 & under have two divisions:

  • Advanced (NTRP 3.5 & above)
  • Intermediate (NTRP 3.0 & below)

10 & under has two divisions:

  • Advanced – standard court
  • Beginner – 60’ court

8 & under will play in one division:

  • Beginner – 36’ Court

Official Registration System

TennisLink Team Tennis is the official system for registering players and teams for the USTA Jr. Team Tennis League. All teams and players participating in the USTA Jr. Team Tennis Championships must register for the USTA Jr. Team Tennis League using the TennisLink system. The section shall establish deadlines and procedures for registering teams and players on TennisLink Team Tennis.

  • Southern Addition: All players must be registered in TennisLink prior to playing a match. TennisLink Team Tennis is also the official system for reporting scores and providing standings for the league and is required for advancement to State, Sectional, and National Championships. All scores must be recorded in TennisLink within ONE WEEK of the end of the season and prior to any Championship Advancement.

Membership

All players participating in the USTA Jr. Team Tennis League must be a member of the United States Tennis Association and live within the boundaries of the section in which they will play.

Players

Participation in the USTA Jr. Team Tennis League is limited to amateur players. Individuals who participate in any professional tournaments are ineligible for USTA Jr. Team Tennis participation.

Team Coaches/Managers

Each USTA Jr. Team Tennis League team shall have a team coach/manager responsible for the team and its administrative affairs during the league season.

USTA JR. TEAM TENNIS LOCAL LEAGUE REGULATIONS

Team

  1. Team Members
    a. 18 & under, 14 & under, and 12 & under teams shall consist of a minimum of three (3) boys and three (3) girls eligible to compete at a specific level of competition.
    b. 10 & under and 8 & under teams shall consist of a minimum of 4 players eligible to compete at a specific level of competition.
  2. Team members may not have a higher NTRP rating than the level at which they are competing.
  3. Players must remain age eligible through August 31 of the championship year to be eligible for advancement opportunities.

Scoring

Leagues may use a scoring format which best meets the needs of the local league.

Competition Format

  1. Each division within a local league shall play at least one round robin competition wherein every team plays every other team. Any division may be divided into flights and the flight winners entered into a playoff structure to establish a local league champion for that level.
  2. All divisions are required to play a minimum of three (3) team matches (to be eligible for advancement).
  3. The league coordinator may use the format which best meets the needs of the local league, including a round robin or other format.

Team Match

  1. Match Format may be determined by the local league coordinator.

Scoring

  1. Scoring Format may be determined by the local league coordinator.
  2. The method of determining the winning team of a local team tennis match and local team tennis competition is determined by the local league coordinator. 
  3. The scoring in the event of a default, forfeit, or disqualification shall be according to the format selected in TennisLink Team Tennis.
  4. Scores must be recorded in TennisLink Team Tennis to meet the eligibility requirements of three (3) team matches (said team matches may not come from an individual play event) prior to championships advancement.

Individual Match

An individual match is any singles match, doubles match, or mixed doubles match played as part of a team match.

Team Lineups

The coaches/managers for each team shall exchange their team match cards simultaneously prior to the beginning of the team match. No substitutions may be made in any individual match after the lineup has been presented, except for injury to, or illness of a player prior to the start of such match and except under such further circumstances as the section association authorizes. If the substitution is made during the warm-up the substitute player is entitled to a five (5) minute warm-up.

Player Participation

  1. A player may play on more than one team at the local level during the same season as long as it is not in the same division. A player may not participate on more than one championship team.
  2. An individual may play in no more than two individual matches in a team match. One of these two matches must be Mixed Doubles.

Ranking

Players with a Sectional Standing of 1-300 must enter the Advanced Division. Any player with a national ranking must enter the Advanced Division.

Progression

Each team that wins a specific level of team tennis competition shall be entitled to advance to the next level of competition.

 

Previous Page...

Copyright © Arkansas Tennis Association