The basics
Competitive match play is an essential component of any tennis player's development. One goal of the Junior Lancers Tennis group is to encourage students to play in competitive matches throughout the year. If the information is at all confusing to you, simply call the club that offers the tournament and they can help explain how your child can become involved in the tournament.
Any competition is valuable. As competition gets more formal, the benefits grow. For example, playing a challenge match against a friend after a group lesson is a great way to build strategy skills. Playing in a formal USTA tournament is even more beneficial as the player competes against someone they don't know within a formal tournament structure.
How to enter a USTA tournament (more information will be provided at a summer meeting)
The United States Tennis Association is the group that runs the US Open you may have seen in the fall. The organization runs tournaments for professionals, adults and children all across the country. Below are instructions on how to find tournaments nearby in order for your son or daughter to gain more playing experience if the path they are following requires it.
Click here to reach the search option
Click on “Tournaments Advanced Search”
Go to “National/Section/District”, then choose “Midwest - Wisconsin” from the drop down menu
Click “Search”
You can then browse by month to search for tournaments that might work with your schedule
If you are beginning, look for tournaments labeled “Non-Ranking”, “Single Day” or “Level 4" or "Level 5". The lower the number, the higher the skill level (ex: Level 2 is high level players who are invited to the tournament). Levels 5 is a great place to begin.
The USTA also labels the levels “Entry Level”, “Intermediate” and “Advanced” to help you select the appropriate tournament.
Youth Progression tennis (a great place to start for beginners)
Youth Progression tennis is a way for players 10 and under to progress through a logical set of steps in order to best develop their tennis skills. Essentially, your child competes in matches and earns rewards to move up from the beginner level (Red) through the advanced youth level (Green). Click here and see below for more information.
Red Ball: single day, 8 and under, beginner, no age minimum, no USTA membership required
Orange Ball: single day, 10 and under, intermediate and advanced, must be at least 7 years old, no USTA membership required
Green Ball: multiple days, 10 and under, intermediate and advanced, must be 10 years old or achieve 20 stars in Orange Ball, mandatory USTA membership
Click here for more information on Red/Orange/Green Youth Progression
Single Day Showdown (a great place to start for intermediate players)
This type of tournament is one that lasts only one day. Instead of needing to set aside time across an entire weekend, a single day showdown tournament allows your child to play the entire tournament is just a single day. Click here for more information. Click here to search for a single day showdown tournament.
District tournaments (a great place to start for all levels of players)
A district tournament takes place at a local club. For example, Elite Clubs, Moorland Park and Western Racquet Club host tournaments in our area, while clubs across the state in Madison, Green Bay and elsewhere do the same. These tournaments typically last more than one day, and are an excellent way to compete against other players who are also looking to improve their tennis skills.
Click here to sign up (follow path below to search for a tournament)
How to search for a tournament
Step #1: click on "Tournaments Advanced Search" on left hand side
Step #2: select "Midwest - Wisconsin" from the "National/Section/District" menu, click "Search"
Step #3: filter by month and year to find a tournament of your desired date and location
Step #4: click on the blue link that lists the tournament name, level and identification number for more information (see below for explanation of Level 1 - Level 5)
Step #5: enjoy your experience playing tournaments, it can be very rewarding!
What do the levels mean in the tournament search? See below:
Level 1: multiple days, intended for advanced players, requires USTA membership
Level 2: multiple days, intended for advanced players, requires USTA membership
Level 3: multiple days, intended for intermediate to advanced players, requires USTA membership
Level 4: multiple days, intended for intermediate players, requires USTA membership
Level 5: single day, intended for beginner or intermediate players, do not require a USTA membership
Click here for more information on Level 1 - Level 5