After much consideration and communication with local staff and tennis providers, USTA Southern California has made the difficult decision to cancel traditional league programming for Fall, 2020. Currently, most county guidelines still have restrictions on adult sports leagues and very few facilities are prepared to host regular league play.
Still interested in playing this fall? To provide tennis opportunities for our dedicated players, USTA SoCal has created two new flexible play formats that will conform to most local guidelines. Those interested in playing this fall should submit this form.
Please note that USTA Northern California has also had to cancel their normal league programming due to similar restrictions, and has also opted for flexible format options.
NO SECTIONALS
All year, it has been our hope to provide a number of safe Section Championships for our 2020 league season. However, the pandemic allowed few opportunities to resume play while even fewer facilities are able host large events. For these reasons, we have decided to cancel championship events for the remainder of 2020.
Local league winners from the winter season and any other completed leagues will receive Local league awards. For flights that did not finish, local league winners will be determined based on game winning percentage – or by completing critical matches with an approved flexible format (*pending local guidelines). Area League Coordinators will be in contact with winter captains with details for their area soon.
Currently, the Adult 65 & Over National Invitational and the Tri-Level National Invitational are still scheduled for the first quarter of 2021. USTA SoCal plans to host small playoff events to identify section representatives for these events.
CREDITS/REFUNDS
If you are currently registered for a season that will no longer take place, there are multiple options:
– Flexible play formats are in high demand this Fall! See below to learn more about these unique and creative play options. and be sure to fill out this form by October 9 if you are interested.
– Request a refund. Refunds will be issued via PayPal, but only for $27 as there is a $3 non-refundable processing fee)
– Do nothing and receive credit for each unused registration. Credits will be applied to player TennisLink accounts by end of October and will be valid until November 2021. Credits can only be used for future SoCal league registrations. After November 1st, you can track your credit(s). CLICK HERE for instructions.
FLEXIBLE FORMATS FOR THE FALL
One Doubles – This is a new USTA SoCal play format designed to provide safe and competitive tennis in a new way. For 2020, we will use One Doubles to establish section representatives at the Tri-Level National Invitational (date and location is TBD in 2021.) One Doubles play will count toward 2021 year-end ratings.
The One Doubles format groups players of similar ability (NTRP Level) on Squads of two to six players. Squads will be grouped into flights for round robin play at the local level. Flight winners will then play off for a spot to represent the area at the Sectional Qualifier. The One Doubles Section Qualifiers at the 4.5, 4.0, and 3.5 levels will combine to form the USTA SoCal Tri-Level team at the National Invitational. The details of the National Invitational have not yet been finalized, but we will have more details in November.
FLEX Singles – Playing a singles match is one of the safest activities you can participate in these days. Every local area is approved for singles play and we are seeing more and more players testing their skills in one-on-one matches. Each local league area might have slightly different rules around FLEX Singles, but generally, players will be placed into a round-robin for regular match play. Opponents will work together to schedule their matches, which can be played at any time and place as long as there is a mutual agreement and the matches are completed by the season deadline.
Learn more about flexible formats.
These play formats will be organized and managed by our Area League Coordinators based player interest and local guidelines. If you are interested in playing in one of these flexible format options, please fill out this form by October 9th.
OTHER USTA PROGRAMMING
USTA Adult Tournaments are running in Orange and San Diego counties. Please check our website and/or TennisLink for the adult tournament schedule. This list changes frequently based on facility readiness and local guidelines, so check back often. You never know when a tournament might pop up near you.
Through the end of the year, we will be monitoring state, county, and local guidelines and will continue to advocate for our programs at all levels of government. As restrictions continue to loosen, we hope to be able to offer a wide array of tennis offerings including Cardio Tennis, adult instruction, and more.
YEAR END RATING UPDATE
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, USTA programming across the U.S. has been severely disrupted. In addition, 80% of all USTA League Section and District Championships and 100% of USTA League National Championships have been canceled in 2020.
While the NTRP system remains sound, and given all of the impact COVID-19 has had on play, the National Office has made the difficult decision not to run or publish year-end NTRP ratings for 2020.
Please check out our FAQs for more information, including what this means for your rating for 2021. USTA Customer Care team is also ready to serve you. With additional questions, email customercare@usta.com. Customer Care hours are Monday-Friday, 6am-4pm PST.