2017 USTA Adult Ranking Regulations

(Excerpt from the 2017 Friend at Court, p. 135)

Note number of tournaments needed for a national ranking have increased from 1 Category 1 to 1 Caregory 1 plus 1 other Cat 2 or Cat 3 tournament. The best four tournaments are used to calculate a player’s of team’s ranking.

E. Adult, Senior, and Family National Rankings

1. Adult, Senior, and Family ranking period. The Adult, Senior, and Family ranking period for all players and teams shall be January 1 through December 31.

2. National Ranking Tournaments. The following tournaments shall be

known as National Ranking Tournaments in the Adult, Senior, and Family ranking divisions and only results from these tournaments shall be considered for ranking:

• Category I USTA National Championships;

• ITF tournaments held in the United States;

• Super Category II USTA National Tournaments;

• Category II USTA National Tournaments;

• USTA National Intersectional Team Events;

• Category III USTA Tournaments;

• Sectional Championships (as defined in USTA Regulation X.E.3.);

• Local Tournaments (as defined in USTA Regulation X.E.4.); and

• Adult/Senior Team Events.

3. Sectional Championships. These are tournaments sanctioned by the

Sectional Associations as Sectional Championships in the Adult, Senior, and Family Divisions that are neither Super Category II USTA National Tournaments, Category II USTA National Tournaments, nor Category III USTA Tournaments.

4. Local Tournaments. These tournaments are sanctioned by the Sectional Associations or District Associations in the Adult, Senior, and Family Divisions that are neither Super Category II USTA National Tournaments, Category II USTA National Tournaments, Category III USTA Tournaments, nor Sectional Championships.

5. Points Per Round ranking system.

a. Ranking points. Players shall earn ranking points in National

Ranking Tournaments based on a Points Per Round ranking

system. The Adult Competition Committee shall determine the

ranking points that shall be assigned to each round in each

tournament (including the qualifier, if any) and for participating in each tournament. This information shall be published annually on the USTA website.

b. Relative weights of National Ranking Tournaments.

i. ITF tournaments held in the United States. The Adult

Competition Committee shall determine the points for

winning matches in the ITF tournaments held in the United States and annually shall publish this information on the USTA website.

ii. USTA National Intersectional Team Events. The Adult

Competition Committee shall determine the points for

winning matches in the USTA National Intersectional Team Events and annually shall publish this information on the USTA website.

iii. Adult/Senior Team Events. The Adult Competition

Committee shall determine the points for winning matches in the Adult/Senior Team Events and annually shall publish this information on the USTA website.

iv. Relative weights of other National Ranking Tournaments.

The relative ranking weights of tournaments, other than the tournaments listed in USTA Regulation X.E.5.b.i., ii. and iii., shall be determined by the Adult Competition

Committee and shall be published annually in Table 19.

Table 19

Relative Ranking Weights of Other National Ranking Tournaments

Tournament Type Relative

Ranking Weight

Category I USTA National Championship 10

Super Category II USTA National Tournaments 5

Category II USTA National Championships 4

Category III USTA Tournaments 3,4,5, or 10*

Sectional Championships 2

Local Tournaments 1

*The Adult Competition Committee Shall determine the Relative ranking weight of each Category III USTA Tournament. The relative ranking weights of Category III USTA Tournaments are not required to be the same.

c. Treatment of byes, withdrawals, walkovers, disqualifications,

defaults, and retirements.

i. Byes. A player who advances because of a bye does not

receive ranking points for advancing.

i. Withdrawals. A player who advances because of a

withdrawal shall receive ranking points for advancing.

iii. Walkovers. A player who advances because of a walkover shall receive ranking points for advancing.

iv. Disqualification. A player who advances because of a

disqualification shall receive ranking points for advancing.

v. Defaults. A player who advances because of a default shall receive ranking points for advancing.

vi. Retirements. A player who advances because of the opponent’s retirement shall receive ranking points for advancing.

d. Breaking ranking ties. If players or teams receive the same number of ranking points, ties shall be broken using the following steps in the order listed. As many ties as possible shall be broken before using the next step:

• Most points earned in Category I USTA National Championships;

• Most points earned in Super Category II USTA National Tournaments and Category II USTA National Tournaments; and

• Most points earned in any other National Ranking Tournament.

6. Calculating rankings in Adult and Senior Divisions. Subject to the

following limitations, singles rankings, team doubles rankings, and

individual doubles rankings in the Adult and Senior Divisions shall be

based on the total ranking points received during a calendar year for up to four tournaments in which the player or team received the most ranking points:

• Players and teams must meet the minimum tournament participation requirements listed in Table 20 to be ranked.

• Ranking points earned at no more than two Sectional Championships shall be counted for a national ranking.

• Ranking points earned in at least one Category I USTA Championship shall be included among the National Ranking Tournaments that count for national ranking.

• Only those players or teams who receive at least 50 ranking points shall be ranked.

FAC Comment X.E-1: There are no Rankings in the Adult or Senior Mixed Doubles Divisions

7. Calculating rankings in Family Divisions. Each player or team must play in one Category I USTA National Championship in order to receive a national ranking (see Table 20). Family rankings shall be based on the total ranking points received during a calendar year from the four National Ranking Tournaments in which the player or team received the most ranking points, except that:

• Ranking points earned at no more than two Sectional Championships shall be counted for a national ranking.

TABLE 20

Adult, Senior, and Family Minimum Tournament Participation Requirements for National Rankings

Division

Minimum Tournament Participation Requirements

Adult & Senior Divisions

Two Category I USTA National Championships, (including

qualifiers that are part of the Championships); or

One Category I USTA National Championship (including qualifier

that is part of the Championship) and one of the following:

• One Super Category II USTA National Tournament

• One Category II USTA National Tournament