USA Team Tennis Men's League

The USA Team Tennis Men's League of the Greater Columbus Tennis Association was formed to facilitate an organized tennis league which promotes recreational and competitive activity for all men of the greater Columbus area.

A. Description

The League is organized into smaller leagues: Open, 4.0, 3.5, 3.0, Gold, Silver, Platinum and Diamond. Theses leagues are determined according to USTA skill levels or GCTA age divisions. All teams enter one league based on the skill level and/or age of their members. These smaller leagues may be subdivided into divisions as necessary to limit the league season.

B. Teams

1. 4.0, 3.5, Gold, Silver

Teams shall consist of at least 10 men with one man chosen as Team Captain. These men will pair up to form 5 doubles teams. The Team Captain will rank the teams 1-5 for positioning in match play. The best doubles team will play on Court 1 with other teams following in their rank order on Courts 2 through 5.

2. Open, 3.0, Platinum, Diamond

Teams shall consist of at least 6 men with one man chosen as Team Captain. These men will pair up to form 3 doubles teams. The Team Captain will rank the teams 1-3 for positioning in match play. The best doubles team will play on Court 1 with other teams following in their rank order on Courts 2 and 3.

A. Team

Any group of men may enter as an eligible team provided they:

1. Can provide court time and new yellow balls for home matches.
2. Submit a team roster consisting of the minimum number of men identified in I.B.1. and I.B.2. The roster can be expanded until June 19, 2007. Names of new players must be submitted with GCTA dues to the League Chairman. Additions to the team roster after that date can be made only with the approval of the League Chairman and the scorekeeper of the league in which the addition is requested. No roster additions may be made after July 31.
3. Submit an official entry form requesting an entry.

B. Players

1. All players must meet the following qualifications in order to participate:

a. Must be at least 19 years of age for Open, 4.0, and 3.5, 3.0; 45 or older for Gold; 55 or older for Silver; 65 or older for Platinum; and, 70 or older for Diamond, as defined by USTA requirements;
b. Must have tennis or other membership, as defined by the club he represents ;
c. Must belong to a club in Franklin, Delaware, Morrow, or Licking Counties;
d. Must be a member of the GCTA;
e. Must play in a league equal to or greater than his rating if he has a current USTA rating. Example: a player with a 4.0 USTA rating can play in the 4.0 League or Open League. A player with a 4.5 USTA rating cannot play in the 4.O League. Please list on Team Rosters the USTA rating of all players with a rating. It is not a requirement to have a USTA rating to play in the GCTA Leagues.

2. Each club must submit for each team at each level a team registration form. A total team roster along with $10.00 per player for GCTA Membership (except in the instance of life members) must be submitted no later than June 19, 2007.

3. Players can be listed on the rosters of two teams provided they meet the qualifications in section II.B.1. and the following criteria:

a. At least one of the two team rosters containing the name of such a player must be in the Gold, Silver, Platinum, or Diamond Leagues.
b. The two teams listing the players are in different Leagues.

Exception to rule II.B.3.: Players listed on the rosters of teams in the Diamond League may be listed on two other rosters of teams in different leagues. At least one of the two non-Diamond League rosters listing such players must be in the Gold, Silver or Platinum Leagues. All other eligibility requirements must be met.

A. If a club submits a team for league play and withdraws after the schedule has been printed, that club shall pay a $50.00 fine. If the fine remains unpaid by the Fall of 2007, the team is ineligible to play in the following Summer of 2008.

B. A player may substitute for a team at a higher or equivalent level but a member of any level of play may not substitute at the same or lower level than he regularly plays. The following levels are listed from highest to lowest:

Open,
4.0, Silver, Gold
Platinum, Diamond
3.5
3.0

Example: Club Y has two 4.0 teams, an Open team, a 3.5 team, and a Gold team. Player Z is on 4.0 Team A: Player Z may not substitute on 4.0 Team B and he may not substitute on the 3.5 Team; however, he may substitute on the Gold team (provided he is at least 45 years of age) and the Open team.

All substitutes must be GCTA members and on the roster of a team participating in the GCTA Men's Summer League. A player who substitutes three times at a higher level will permanently be moved to that level. This rule applies to all players if they substitute at any level above that which they regularly play.

C. A club may field one or more teams in each of the Gold, Silver, Platinum, Diamond, Open, 4.0, 3.5, or 3.0 teams. There will be no switching of players between teams within a league after the season begins. Once a player starts play on a team, he can only play on that team for or substitute to a level in compliance with III.B.

D. Matches for all levels are scheduled to begin promptly at designated starting times. Matches are scheduled for Saturdays, Sundays, or Monday evenings.

Exception to Rule III.D: Diamond League matches may be scheduled for Saturdays, Sundays, or any other day of the week. Platinum League matches may be scheduled for Saturdays, Sundays, or any other day of the week; however, Platinum League matches scheduled for Monday through Friday must not begin any earlier than 4:00 p.m.

E. All five (or in the case of the Open, 3.0, Platinum and Diamond Leagues, three) team matches must be played on the same day the interclub match is scheduled and shall be played outdoors at clubs that have outdoor courts--except in the case of inclement weather when the match may be moved indoors at the host club's expense.

F. The captain of the host club will contact the captain of the guest club as to starting time and court surface to be used. The host team reserves the right to play the match on whatever court surface is available to the club--hard or soft-- at the club site.

G. Each team will consist of five doubles courts. (Open, 3.0, Platinum and Diamond, three doubles courts.) In the event that a team cannot field five doubles courts, the match should be played with the number of teams available. If only four teams are available, the No. 5 court will be the court to be defaulted and if only three courts are available, the No. 4 and No. 5 courts default. This happens only prior to line-up exchange. If a player is missing, those courts below the player not present must not start play until an irrevocable default is declared.

H. A warm-up of at least 10 minutes must be provided after the designated starting time. No warm-up will be given to late arrivals. There will be a grace period of 20 minutes from the designated starting time after which an automatic default occurs on the courts minus a player. Each club must provide a schedule of designated starting times for each level of play. Captains will contact the chairman and the scorekeeper if a change from the designated times will take place: these captains must then contact all opposing captains and make them aware of such changes.

NOTE: All forfeited matches will be scored 6-0 6-0.

I. If a host club has fewer than five outdoor courts available for matches, the guest club has the option to either stagger court play or play one or more teams on separate outdoor courts. The location of the separate outdoor courts must be declared in advance and the location needs approval by the guest Team Captain. In the event of staggering court play, the teams waiting to play will take the first available court, unless it is mutually agreed to wait and play on a chosen court. The host team must notify the guest team in advance of the day of the match as to the courts that will be waiting to play. Top seeded courts will play on clay courts if both clay and hard courts are used. If indoor and outdoor courts are both used, the top seeded teams will play outdoors.

J. For each match, the host team furnishes cold drinks and new yellow USTA approved balls. The balls are not to be opened until the players are on the court.

K. Lineups should be written on score sheets and exchanged prior to the start of play. Once the score sheets are exchanged, no change will take place thereafter, unless both captains of the respective teams agree on such changes. Use only GCTA score sheets or formats approved by the scorekeeper.

L. In case of rain, matches must be scheduled within two weeks following the originally scheduled date. Captains should call each other if the weather is questionable on the morning of play. Captains or the captain of the host team will determine if play should be suspended. If play is suspended, the host team decides the new date, and the guest team must accommodate. Not all five courts of rescheduled matches need to play at the same designated time if it is inconvenient for some players. If play is started and is interrupted by rain, the rain date match is started from the point of interruption using the same exact teams. New balls may be used if there is a day or more delay. A host team could choose to play inside on the given date, but the host team is totally responsible for cost. Scheduled interclub matches have priority over rain date matches. There shall be a minimum five (5) minute warm-up when there is a change of courts from outside to inside or when re-starting a weather-suspended match.

NOTE: Once schedules are distributed, matches must be played on the dates and time indicated. Only reason for modifications will be inclement weather!

A. Player Matches

All matches will follow standard USTA approved scoring. Each match will consist of the best of three six-game sets. If a set is tied at 6-6, the tie will be broken via a twelve point tie-breaker. The set is then scored at 7-6. The twelve (12) point tie-breaker procedure is attached.

Exception to Rule IV.A.: Diamond and Platinum League matches will use the Match Tie-Breaker in lieu of the third set. The Match Tie-Breaker will be considered a set if tie breaking procedures are needed to determine league winners and/or runners-up. The Match Tie-Breaker procedure is attached. The third set of matches in the Diamond and Platinum leagues may be played only if the captains of both teams agree to this prior to the start of the match.

B. Team Matches

Each team will receive one point for each victory on any court. The team winning the majority of the courts will receive a "bonus point" that will be computed in the league standings. Total points earned will be tallied by the League Scorekeeper to determine team standings.

C. Reporting

Scores must be reported to the League Scorekeeper for tallying. Both teams are responsible for completion and mailing of the score sheet. Teams should use the preprinted sheets supplied for that purpose or use a format preapproved by the scorekeeper. Standings will be posted on the GCTA web site (www.gcta.net). Captains should check the web site for verification of standings. Scorekeepers may provide additional updates. The deadline for reporting scores is 5:00 p.m. Wednesday following the match.

A. Playoffs

In leagues which have post season play-offs, the champion will be named as the winner of the play-offs. Eligibility for the play-offs is described below. Play-offs will be held in leagues that are composed of two or more divisions. There will be no play-offs in single division leagues. When leagues have an uneven season with some teams having fewer byes than other teams, percentages of points won divided by points possible will determine the final outcome.

1. Format

a. Two division leagues

Eight teams will qualify for the play-offs. The top four teams from each division will qualify for the playoffs. Highest ranked finishing teams will play the lowest ranked teams from the opposite division. The team with the best regular season record will be the home team for each match in the playoff.

b. Three division leagues

Eight teams will qualify for the playoffs. The first and second place team from each division as well as two wild card entries will qualify. The wild card entries will be the two teams in the league with the best winning percentage (based on points won versus points available) not finishing first or second in their division. First place finishing teams will be seeded in the eight team draw. First and second place teams from the same division will not meet in the first week of the playoffs. The team with the best regular season record will be the home team for each match in the play-offs.

c. Four division leagues

Eight teams will qualify for the play-offs. The top two teams from each division will qualify for the play-offs. First place finishing teams will be seeded in the eight team draw. First and second place teams from the same division will be placed in opposite halves of the play-off draw. The team with the best regular season record will be the home team for each match in the play-offs.

B. Eligibility for Play-offs when there are Ties

If teams tie for first place in a division, the winner and runner-up will be determined in the following manner: (NOTE: This same procedure will apply to determine the qualifier if there is a clear winner, but there is a tie for runner-up in any division.)

1. If teams tie:
The winner in head to head competition will be the winner.
2. If a tie still exists:
The team that lost the least number of sets in league play is the winner.
3. If a tie still exist:
The team that won the most number of games in league play is the winner.
4. If a tie still exists:
Winner is determined by a flip of a coin (caller determined by drawing from two pieces of paper from an elevated surface).

C. No Play-offs

If post season play-offs are not held in a league, the champion will be named by the best record. In the event of a tie, the tie will be broken using the rules described in the section above.

D. Player Eligible for Play-offs

1. Players name must appear on a team's roster to be eligible to represent that team in the play-offs.
2. Court 1 and 2 players in the play-offs must have played in a minimum of (2) matches during the regular season.

A. Stacking

Every effort should be made to rank both individuals and individual doubles teams in order of relative strength. Once the order is determined, it should be consistent from week to week. Frequent and/or major changes could be considered as stacking. As a general rule, a move of one court is allowed. If stacking is judged to have occurred, the appropriate court(s) will be forfeited by the League Chairman. Forfeits in this manner will eliminate the bonus point from being awarded to the team judged to have been in violation of this rule.

B. Skill Levels

To maintain and enhance the competitiveness of the leagues, it is important to honestly place each team in the appropriate league. If a team has won their league two consecutive years, players who played on the first two courts in three or more matches must move to a team in a higher division the following season.

C. Disputes

In the case of disagreements that cannot be resolved between Team Captains, the League Chairman will act as arbitrator. If either of the Team Captains chooses, the League Chairman's ruling can be appealed to the Appeals Committee.

The Appeals Committee will be made up of three individuals selected by the League Chairman prior to the beginning of the season.

12 Point "tie-break" procedures for tennis

The following system shall be used in a tie-break game.

Singles

A player who first wins seven points shall win the game and the set provided that player leads by a margin of two points. If the score reaches six points all, the game shall be extended until this margin has been achieved. Numerical scoring shall be used throughout the tie-break game.

The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the server for the first point from the right court. The opponent shall be the server for the second and third points (left then right courts), and thereafter, each player shall serve alternately for two consecutive points until the winner of the game and set has been decided.

From the first point, each service shall be delivered alternately from the right and left courts, beginning from the right court. If service from a wrong half of the court occurs and is undetected, all play resulting from such wrong service or services shall stand, but the inaccuracy of station shall be corrected immediately after it is discovered.

Players shall change ends after every six points and at the conclusion of the tie-break game.

Doubles

In doubles, the procedure as in singles shall apply. The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the server for the first point. Thereafter, each player shall serve in rotation for two points, in the same order as previously in that set, until the winners of the game and set have been decided.

Rotation of Service

The player (or pair in the case of doubles) who served first in the tie-break game shall receive service in the first game of the following set.
 

• Exception to Rule IV.A.: Diamond and Platinum League matches will use the Match Tie-Breaker in lieu of the third set unless both captains agree before the match to play the 3rd set. This agreement will effect all courts.
  The Match Tie-Breaker will be considered a set if tie breaking procedures are needed to determine league winners and/or runners-up. The Match Tie-Breaker procedure is attached.

Match Tie-Break: The Match Tie-Break is the same as the 12 point tie-break identified above except that it is the first player (or team) to ten points by a margin of two.