We are pleased to announce that we received a large number of entries for our upcoming tournament. Player guidelines for the event are below. Draw sheets and match schedules can be found here: 2021 Third of July Tournament Draw Sheets and Match Schedule.

1. Carry to Lovelace Park all the beverage and food you will need. (ECTA will offer only a limited number of bananas and granola bars.)

2. Assignments to round robins and orders of matches were made by lottery; there was no seeding. Print and carefully examine the table attached to this letter and mark your scheduled matches. Arrive at least 10 minutes before your first scheduled match, ready to play, check in at the tournament desk, and confirm your assignment. The desk will give you or your opponent three tennis balls.

3. Go to the court assigned for your match.

4. At the start time, or as soon as the court is open, take the court, greet your opponent, spin for serve, and begin warmup.

5. When the tournament director calls “Time!” at six minutes past the hour, promptly stop warmup and begin competition. Every match is a six-game pro set with no-ad scoring (deciding point at deuce, receiver chooses court) and set tiebreak (first to seven points by two) at six games all. Changeover rest time is 90 seconds maximum, except that there is no rest time at changeover between the first and second games.

6. At completion of the match, promptly pick up the tennis balls, go to the tournament desk, report your results, return the balls, and confirm your assignment for your next match.

7. The round robin in 3.5 Doubles determines a champion. The round robins in Open Singles and Open Doubles are preliminary to matches that determine champions. The round robins in 3.5 Singles and Mixed Doubles are preliminary to round robins that determine champions.

8. USTA rules for lateness govern this tournament. The applicable rules are:

When a player is late in arriving for the player’s scheduled match time and any court is available, the Referee shall start the lateness penalty clock. A player is not deemed to have arrived until the player checks in at the place designated for checking in and is properly clothed, equipped, and ready to play. A team is not deemed to have arrived until both partners have arrived.

a. If one player or team is late: (i) 5 minutes or less, loss of toss plus 1 game, (ii) 5:01 to 10 minutes, loss of toss plus 2 games, (iii) 10:01 to 15 minutes, loss of toss plus 3 games, (iv) more than 15 minutes, default.

b. If both players are equally late up to 15 minutes: no penalty.

c. If both players are more than 15 minutes late: default both players.

d. If both players are late but arrive at different times: on arrival of the first player, the penalty accrues against the second player, who loses the toss and one, two, or three games or is defaulted depending on the time elapsed between the two players’ arrivals.

9. USTA rules for round robins govern this tournament. The applicable rules are:

a.   Procedure for Competition.

Each team in the round robin shall play every other team in the round robin.

b.   Determining order of finish.

The team that wins the largest number of matches is the winner. The team that wins the second-largest number of matches is the runner-up.

If two teams are tied, then the winner of their head-to-head match is the winner.

If three or more teams are tied, the Referee shall use the following steps in the order listed to break all ties. The Referee shall break as many ties as possible using a given step before using the next step. These steps are:

•    The head-to-head win-loss record in matches involving just the tied teams;

•    The team with the highest percentage of games won of all games completed;

•    The head-to-head win-loss record in matches involving the teams who remain tied;

•    The team with the highest percentage of games won of games completed among the teams under consideration; and

•    The head-to-head win-loss record in matches involving the teams who remain tied.

If the Referee has applied all the steps and a tie still cannot be broken, the Referee shall use a random drawing among the remaining tied players to determine the winner.