Arkansas Adult/NTRP Rankings Rules-Revised 2012

 

General Ranking Rules and Regulations

 

·        The results of all tournaments sanctioned by the Arkansas Tennis Association and held in Arkansas during the ranking year shall be considered for Arkansas ranking purposes.

·        Final year end rankings will be compiled on a calendar year basis, January 1 through December 31.

·         Tentative rankings will be published on the ATA web site (www.arktennis.com) for the preceding ranking year.

·         Protests to the tentative rankings must be submitted in writing by the player protesting (not a coach or parent) to the Chair man of the Ranking Committee. The protest deadline will be published on the ATA website. Each written protest must be received by the posted deadline and must state why the individual should be ranked higher and/or why other individuals should be ranked lower. A Ranking Committee shall consider all protests and determine the final rankings.

·          Final rankings will be posted to the ATA web site within days following their approval at the ATA annual meeting and may appear in print publications thereafter.

 

Player Eligibility

·         Only persons who are USTA members in good standing shall be considered for ranking.

·          A player must have maintained at least two (2) months continuous residence in the ATA District

·          In order for a player to participate in any Arkansas Closed Tournament, he/she must be a bona fide resident of Arkansas. To establish proof of residency, a player must:

1.      Have a valid USTA Arkansas membership address

2.      Be an Arkansas registered voter or meet the requirements to be an  Arkansas registered voter.

·        A player denied residency status may appeal that ruling to a Committee comprised of the ATA President and two appointed members who shall consider any special circumstances and rule thereon. Such an appeal must precede by at least thirty (30) days the commencement of any closed tournament in which the player wishes to participate.

 

Adult Rankings and Standings Regulations

 

Minimum Ranking Requirements -- Year-end rankings are the final rankings of players for any given calendar year.  A player may achieve a year-end ranking by accumulating a minimum of 50 ranking points during the calendar year in the division being ranked. Year-end rankings are calculated on a player’s best five(5) tournament results during the calendar year. (Players are not required to play in five (5) tournaments, and rankings will be calculated with fewer than five (5) tournaments.)   Doubles players shall receive individual rankings/standings.

 

Standings – Standing lists are the current standings of players at any given time of calculation. Standings will be posted at least monthly on the internet at www.arktennis.com, or more often at the discretion of the ATA. Standings will include all players who have accumulated at least one (1) ranking point. Standings are calculated on a player’s best five (5) tournament results during the previous twelve (12) months (beginning 1/1/2012).  Players are not required to play in five (5) tournaments, and standings will be calculated with fewer than five (5) tournaments.

 

***Player records should be checked periodically throughout the year. Tournament corrections must be made by the tournament director.  The tournament director shall then notify the ATA so that corrections to the standings can be made.  Corrections must be made by December 1 of the ranking year.  A standing cannot be appealed. Player record corrections, after verification, will be made and reflected in the next standings update.

 

 

Standings and Ranking Considerations

·        Year-end rankings and current standings will be calculated on the basis of the AR points system. Ranking points are those points that are awarded based on the AR points system posted by the ATA on its web site (www.arktennis.com).

·        The ATA will periodically review the points system to determine if changes/adjustments are required. 

·        Points earned during the entire calendar year will be included in determining year-end rankings.  Points earned during the previous twelve months will be included in determining current standings (beginning with 1/1/2012).

·        Withdrawals, defaults, walkovers and retirements qualify as wins for the advancing player and players earn points for that round.

·        A player who is defaulted from a tournament for code violations for misconduct forfeits any points accumulated during the tournament in the singles main and consolation draws.

·        For year-end ranking purposes, only points earned in the division being ranked are included. 

·        Ranking tie-break procedure:  In the event of a tie in final year-end rankings, the higher ranking will go to the player whose best event has the highest number of points, then second best, then third best, etc., through four events.

 

Classifications

·         Division – Any player may Open enter an Open Division event.

·         Age Divisions – An adult player is considered the age reached on his/her birthday in the current calendar year and may play in any adult age division designated for that age or younger.

·          NTRP Divisions

1.      Players with a current NTRP rating must participate at their rated level or higher. Players without a current NTRP rating may self-rate.

2.      Any player not participating in USTA League Tennis and ranked #1 in a division must play in a higher division the next ranking year.

3.      Any doubles team having players not rated at the same NTRP level must play in the division of the higher-rated player.

4. Players must be 18 or older during the calendar year to participate in NTRP tournaments.

·         NTRP Mixed Doubles

1.      The rules for Mixed Doubles in tournament play shall be the same as the current USTA Mixed Doubles League guidelines.

Example: Each individual player’s rating may not be more than 1.0 apart (i.e. a 3.0 player and a 4.0 player may play 7.0).