Divisions and Flights

2024 Summer Points Race Series tournaments will require singles play and have the option to provide doubles play for an additional entry fee. It is also required for each tournament to offer both men's and women's divisions. All ITA Summer Points Race Series tournaments will be "open", meaning that there are no age or level restrictions placed on entry. However, once the entry deadline passes, selections into the tournament will be made according to player WTNs. WTNs will also determine which flight a player is in if the event contains multiple flights and will be used to seed each flight as well.

Tournament Length

All ITA Summer Points Race Series tournaments must be limited to two or three-day events. Two-day events must be Saturday-Sunday while three-day events may be Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Monday. For events that begin on Friday, we recommend that play starts in the afternoon or early evening so players may travel on that same day. Tournaments that wish to deviate from this structure must indicate this on the host site application form and receive approval from the ITA Office.

ITA Summer Points Race

The ITA Points Race will be administered throughout the summer by ITA staff.  This results-based point system will be utilized to track outstanding performers and the ITA office will post a “points race standings” each week on the ITA website.  At the conclusion of the Summer Points Race Series, the top 3 men and the top 3 women in the standings will receive automatic entry into the main draw of the ITA National Summer Championships as well as a travel reimbursement to be used towards the expense of attending the ITA National Summer Championships. 

Pre-Tournament Training Calls

The tournament director must attend a pre-tournament planning call with the ITA office to review tournament logistics including the selection, alternate, and seeding process, scheduling, use of the tournament management system, etc.

Serve Tennis Tournament Management Platform

All ITA Summer Points Race Series events will be administered using the Serve Tennis tournament management platform. Once you are confirmed as tournament host, ITA staff will provide instructions on how to set up your tournament page. Please note that the Serve Tennis tournament management platform utilizes the Stripe financial platform to process entry fees. The ITA will also make available online webinar training and video tutorials that will assist you in finalizing your tournament homepage, managing your participant list, seeding and draw creation, etc. It is mandatory that you attend at least one of these training sessions.

Awards

All tournaments must give awards to winners and finalists of singles and doubles in each draw or flight. 

Prize Money

The ITA will provide $1,000 in matching prize money grants to a maximum of 20 events this summer. This matching prize money is only to be allocated to the singles A draws. Host sites have the option to make their event a prize money event and must indicate this on their application. Prize money-designated tournaments may acquire a sponsor (subject to ITA approval) to assist with this expense. The prize money must be distributed evenly across both genders. Prize money events will be specifically identified on both the ITA website and your tournament home page.

Distribution of Prize Money ***ADDED JUNE 3, 2024***

All prize money is to be split evenly between genders and may be paid out to recipients in whichever method the host site prefers. The tournament director is responsible for distributing prize money and should make the NCAA Annual College Tennis Player Expense Report available to players receiving prize money to assist with tracking tournament information and expenses. This report form should be handed out to each prize money recipient when they receive their award. Listed on this report form are the NCAA DI Bylaws that govern expenses and prize money in the sport of tennis. 

If any junior player has questions regarding prize money, they can be referred to Bylaw 12.1.2.4.2.1.

If any college player has questions regarding prize money, they can be referred to Bylaw 12.1.2.4.2.2 or their institution’s compliance office. 

Participants are not required to complete a form W-9 as long as their total prize money award is less than $600.

• For recipients of an ITA matching prize money grant, the breakdown of prize money shall be paid out to the singles A draws as follows:

Champion: 30%, Finalist: 20%, Semifinalists (2): 15% each, Quarterfinalists (4): 5% each

• For sites with a purse of $500 per gender ($250 ITA match per gender, $500 total match):

Champion: $150, Finalist: $100, Semifinalists (2): $75 each, Quarterfinalists (4): $25 each

• For sites with a purse of $1000 per gender ($500 ITA match per gender, $1000 total match):

Champion: $300, Finalist: $200, Semifinalists (2): $150 each, Quarterfinalists (4): $50 each

Event Insurance

All ITA Summer Points Race Series hosts shall obtain appropriate policies of comprehensive general liability insurance covering bodily injury, death, and property damage liability with limits of no less than two million dollars. The ITA shall be named as additional insured on such policy or policies and shall be provided with a certificate of such insurance by May 1, 2024. A host site that is unable to add the ITA as an additional insured to their existing policy will need to purchase general liability insurance coverage in an amount of no less than two million dollars from a provider of their choosing. K&K Insurance through Nationwide can accomplish this need.  You will most likely need the mailing address for the ITA, which can be found at the bottom of this website.

Tennis Balls

Wilson is the official ball of the ITA and  Wilson Extra Duty or Wilson High Altitude tennis balls are highly preferred for ITA Summer Points Race Series events. Clubs and facilities with pre-existing contracts that prevent the use of Wilson tennis balls should contact the ITA office for further guidance. Should current supply chain circumstances require the use of a different brand or type (regular duty, etc.) of tennis ball, that ball must be USTA/ITF approved and proper notification should be listed on the tournament page.

ITA-Certified Officials

It is mandatory that each tournament provide a minimum of one ITA-certified official per site, with one serving as the tournament referee. For sites with more than 6 courts, the ITA recommends utilizing two ITA-certified officials.  Court configuration may impact this decision. Use good judgment in order to maintain the integrity of the event.  Tournaments are encouraged, but not required, to chair main draw matches from the semifinals on (this is highly recommended during prize money events).  A full list of ITA-certified officials can be found here.

Report on Disciplinary Issues: If a tournament experiences a problem with a player, parent, coach, or spectator (such as a significant sportsmanship issue, the default of a player, etc.), the tournament director along with the tournament referee, should report the incident in writing to the ITA office within 24 hours of the incident.

Event Promotion & ITA Media Toolkit

The 2024 ITA Summer Points Race Series Tournaments will be heavily promoted by the ITA communication and marketing teams via web advertising, social media promotion, and email and newsletter distribution.  Tournament directors should also make every effort to promote their Summer Points Race Series events to any who they feel might benefit from this type of event. Please utilize your individual ITA Media Toolkit to help with branding and promotion of your event. 

ITA Summer Points Race Series Logo

The ITA office will distribute the ITA Summer Points Race Series Powered by World Tennis Number logo for use on promotional items for your event, including website and social media graphics, posters/flyers, player gifts, etc. The logo must be used in its original format and any modifications must be approved by ITA Digital Media Manager, Zach Pohlmann (zpohlmann@itatennis.com). The logo can be accessed by clicking here.

Sponsorship

The ITA supports any tournament using local sponsors that don’t conflict with existing ITA agreements.  A designated prize money event could also acquire a “presenting sponsor” (subject to ITA approval) to assist with the prize money expense. If you have questions regarding sponsorship, please contact the ITA office. For a current list of ITA Partners, please click here.

Budget & Profit Estimates

After reviewing this tournament manual, we encourage all prospective tournament directors to establish a projected event budget {ESTIMATED PROFIT = (entry fees - ITA/USTA fees + sponsorship*) - (ITA Membership + Officials + Balls + Court Fees + Insurance + Awards) *Sponsorship acquired by host site}.  Tournament profits will vary from site to site based on expenses and field sizes. All tournament directors will be required to complete a budget report form no later than two weeks after the completion of your event. 

Post-Event Budget Report

Each Tournament Director will be responsible for submitting a post-event budget within two weeks of the completion of their event.

Player Eligibility

Any player who wishes to compete in a Summer Series event MUST have an active 2024 ITA Player Membership, a completed ITA Player Waiver, and a paid entry fee. A player who does not satisfy all three of these fields is not allowed to compete in any 2024 ITA Summer Series tournament.

ITA Player Membership

All participants must have a 2024 ITA Player Membership or they will not be able to register for and participate in an ITA Summer Points Race Series event. ITA Player memberships expire at the end of each calendar year so participants must purchase/renew their membership each summer. Memberships can be purchased/renewed through the ITA website (wearecollegetennis.com). After purchasing, participants will receive a confirmation email and will then be able to successfully register for a Summer Points Race Series event.

Registration & Entry Fees

Tournament registration will take place on your tournament homepage through the USTA’s Serve Tennis platform. Players will have to create a USTA account to register (this is free).  All ITA Summer Points Race Series events will offer men’s and women’s divisions and be considered “open” events where anyone can enter. There will be no age or level restrictions.  However, once the tournament entry deadline passes, selections into the event will be made according to player WTNs. WTNs will also determine which flight a player is in if the event contains multiple flights.  WTN will also be used for seeding.

Entry fees for all 2024 ITA Summer Points Race Series events will be as follows. Tournaments are not required to have doubles, but this must be indicated in the host site application form. Payments shall be collected through the Serve Tennis platform. Cash or checks may not be directly accepted from participants.
Singles only: $70

Doubles only: $70 

Singles and doubles: $85

The Serve Tennis platform use fee is 3.5% per entry plus 50 cents per transaction. The ITA admin fee is $5.50 per player. These fees will be deducted automatically upon player selection and hosts will receive the remainder of the fees. Additional payment processing fees may occur.

ITA Waiver

All participants must submit an ITA Waiver before they are permitted to practice or compete. The ITA will upload a digital waiver to the tournament homepage that each player must complete. Please ensure you've received a waiver from each player prior to competition beginning. A spreadsheet of completed waivers can be viewed by clicking here.

Refund & Withdrawal Policy

Players will not be charged entry fees until they are selected into the tournament. At the time selections are made, the players' card on file will automatically be charged. Due to this, players will be able to withdraw from the tournament up until the time that selections are made. Per ITA policy, players who withdraw after selections are made will forfeit their entry fee. This withdrawal policy is agreed to by all entrants during the online registration process.

The Serve Tennis event platform allows refunds of the entry fee less processing and transaction fees directly back to the credit card used to pay for entry. 

Registration Deadline

Tournaments should establish an entry deadline of no later than the preceding Sunday at 11:59 pm local time. If needed, tournament directors may extend registration prior to the event closing with approval from the ITA. Players may only be added after the registration deadline has passed in extenuating circumstances. You MUST verify with the ITA office that players manually added have active ITA memberships.

Wild Cards

Host sites will have the option to award one wild card entry for every 16 players in a draw or flight. For collegiate programs hosting an event, please communicate with your compliance office, so as not to violate NCAA recruiting rules.

Waived Entry Fees for Select Collegiate Players

Players have many options each summer for tournament play and are looking for the most competitive opportunities they can find. We have found that the level of play of early registrants often dictates the overall level of your event. To that extent, we encourage you to include as many of your players as possible in your event and on your applicant list. To help facilitate this, the ITA will permit you to waive entry fees to players currently on your team’s roster(s). These are the only entrants that may have entry fees waived. These players are still required to have a current 2024 ITA Player Membership. Most importantly, you should confirm with your compliance office that this is permissible under the bylaws of your governing body.

Alternates

Prior to registration opening, each tournament director will need to identify the number of players that will actually participate in the event, minus any potential wild cards. This should be based on court availability and what a reasonable schedule of play will allow.  Those events that exceed that capacity during registration will make selections into their event based on player WTNs. Selections will automatically be posted to each tournament page. Players that do not gain entry into the event based on their WTN will automatically be placed on an alternate list ordered by WTN.  Alternates may be moved into the draw up until the time that play begins. 

Seeding

• Tournament directors should seed 25% of the draw/flight, never exceeding a 1 seed per 3 player ratio. Players will be seeded according to WTN.

  • 24-32 players, you will seed 8 players

  • 16-23 players, you will seed no more than 4 players

The ITA feels strongly that “flighted” play according to the guidelines above will decrease the number of non-competitive matches, encourage greater participation in the consolation draw, and ultimately improve the experience of our participants.  We also believe capping flight size at 32 participants will assist tournament directors with the goal of completing these events in 2-3 days as originally intended, with the bulk of play occurring on Saturdays and Sundays. Further details on the procedure for seeding and constructing singles flights within the tournament management system will be provided.

Selections

While ITA Summer Points Race Series tournaments are “open” events meaning anyone can enter, these tournaments will be administered in a “level-based play” format. Our ultimate goal is to keep the number of competitive matches as high as possible. Therefore, all events will use “flighted” play during the tournaments. Once the registration deadline passes and selections based on WTN have been made, tournament directors will divide up their competitor fields into flights based on player WTNs and the guidelines below. ITA staff will be available to assist you with any questions regarding this process. Selections must be made on the Tuesday afternoon prior to the tournament.

***NEW*** ADDED 6/14: When making selections, Serve Tennis will automatically sort players first based on their WTN confidence levels, then by player WTN. 

Players with a dark check have a high confidence level and will be sorted at the top, players with a light blue check and a medium confidence level will be sorted in the middle, and players with a low confidence level will have a grey check and will be sorted at the bottom. Due to this functionality of Serve Tennis, you will see a player with a medium confidence WTN of 17 listed below a player with a high confidence WTN of 30.

Selections are to be made without taking confidence level into account, meaning that selections will be made off the numerical WTN only and not the confidence level (ie- all players with a 14 WTN (regardless of their confidence level) must be selected before players with a 15 WTN (regardless of confidence level), followed by a 16, 17, and so forth).

Draws

Tournaments may use a traditional draw format with a first-match loser consolation or a compass draw format.  

Regardless of that decision, the ITA strongly recommends that tournament directors look to provide participants with 3 guaranteed singles matches.

• Singles draws (flights) should never exceed 32 players and never be smaller than a full 16 draw.

  • For 2-day events, singles draws (flights) should not exceed 16 players (may have multiple flights)

  • For 3-day events, singles draws (flights) should not exceed 32 players (may have multiple flights)

• Tournament directors should utilize the WTN range of their participant fields to help determine draw (flight) size

  • Example #1:  40 men’s singles participants– This could end up being anywhere between a 16 A draw/24 B draw or a 24 A draw/16 B draw. Ultimately this should be decided based on the WTN range among your participant field.  

  • Example #2:  64 men’s singles participants– This could end up being a 32 A draw/32 B draw or any combination of 32/16/16 if the WTN range varies greatly. 

Score Format 

Singles matches will play 2 out of 3 sets with a 10-point match tiebreak, using no-ad scoring. Doubles matches will play an 8-game pro set with a tiebreaker at 7 games all with no-ad scoring. 

Consolation

All events must provide a guarantee of 2 singles matches to all participants. We strongly encourage you to consider draw or scheduling options that might provide three guaranteed singles matches (compass draw, feed-in consolation, voluntary sign-up for matchplay, etc.; keeping in mind reasonable scheduling practices and player welfare). 

Warm-Up, Start Time, and Lateness Penalties

Players shall have a maximum of five minutes for warm-up before a match. All players should be ready promptly at the specified starting time.  If a court is available, the referee may penalize the late player one game for every five minutes of lateness.  That player also loses the toss.  The referee, after consultation with the tournament director, may default a player for being 15 minutes late from the starting time of the match (assuming a court is available).

Match Schedule & Rest Periods

The ITA Summer Points Race Series policy for the maximum number of matches permitted in one day for play utilizing a 3rd set match tiebreak in singles is two singles matches in one day. Extenuating circumstances such as weather delays may require deviation from this plan.  There should be a minimum of 1 hour of rest given between singles matches.  During extreme heat situations, this rest period must be increased to 2 hours.

Coaching

Under no circumstances is coaching of any kind allowed while a match is in progress.

No Service Let Rule

All draws will use the collegiate tennis no service let rule.

Medical Timeouts

Players and officials shall follow the ITA Men’s and Women’s Division I rule for medical timeouts (pages 18-19 of 2023-24 ITA Rule Book):  

K. Timeouts, Bathroom Visits, and Equipment Adjustment 

1. Medical timeout. The USTA regulation on medical timeouts applies with the following exceptions (these ITA Medical and Bleeding Time Out procedures are also summarized in the back of the book in ITA Table 6 – Medical and Bleeding Timeouts): 

a. Treatment on changeover or set break. In all divisions, a player may be treated on any changeover or set break. This treatment is not considered a medical timeout. Direct treatment by a trainer at any other time is only allowed if a medical timeout is being taken. (Revised August 2022)

b. Bleeding timeouts. In all divisions, bleeding timeouts follow the USTA Regulation for bleeding timeouts with the exception that players may utilize the ITA PPS should the player begin bleeding from the same area again later in the match. The PPS may not be utilized immediately following a Bleeding Timeout. A Medical Timeout shall NOT be taken to deal with bleeding. A player who receives treatment for bleeding solely within a changeover or set break shall not be charged with a Bleeding Timeout. (Revised August 2020) 

c. Medical Timeouts. In all divisions, a player may have only one medical timeout. A player who needs an additional medical timeout shall be retired. Once the trainer starts talking to the player or touches the player, the trainer has a maximum of five minutes for diagnosis and treatment. The maximum amount of time for treatment shall be three minutes. (Revised August 2022) 

Please note:  Unlike in Division I men’s tennis, during ITA Summer Points Race Series events, men’s players will not be given a point penalty for taking a timeout.

Bathroom Breaks

Players and officials shall follow the ITA Division I and II rule for bathroom breaks (page 20 of 2023-24 ITA Rule Book):

2. Bathroom Breaks. In all divisions, a player must ask an Official to use the bathroom. The Official may refuse this request if the official determines that the player is resorting to gamesmanship. 

a. Division I & II. (Revised January 2019) 

i. Bathroom break. In Divisions I & II, players are allowed one bathroom break during a match. The bathroom break may only occur on a set break and may include up to three (3) minutes additional time for a total of up to five (5) minutes. The Referee will determine the additional time pre-match and notify both head coaches during the pre-match meeting. There shall be no additional “travel time” added to the bathroom break. 

ii. Changeover and set break. Players may use the bathroom during any 90-second changeover or two (2) minute set break with the permission of an Official. Players will only have the specific increment of time for that bathroom visit — no additional time for travel shall be added. 

iii. Other times. If a player wishes to use the bathroom during any other time, this is treated as the player’s one Medical Timeout (if the player has not already taken their Medical Timeout). The time given for the medical timeout for bathroom usage shall match the total time given for the Bathroom Break (not to exceed 5 minutes). There shall be no additional “travel time” added to this Medical Timeout. 

iv. Late return. Late return from the bathroom for any of the above scenarios will result in Time Violation penalties until the player is ready to play. Time Violations accrued from lateness when returning from a bathroom break or bathroom visit are separate from Time Violations accrued during play. (Adopted August 2019) 

General Rules

For all other rules, officials, players, and tournament directors should follow ITA rules as laid out in the “Individual Competition” section of the 2023-24 ITA Rule Book.  This includes the ITA point penalty system, defaults, and unintentional time violation section.  If not specified by ITA rules, officials should default to USTA rules.

Facility & Court Requirements

The ITA recommends a minimum ratio of 8 courts per 64 participants. This will allow for all players to play twice in one full day (will be a long day) and once during a half day.  Obviously, the required number of courts will increase with corresponding increases in anticipated participants.  Additional sites may be used for larger participant fields. Please consult the Garman scheduling tables for further help regarding court ratios and scheduling.  Host sites should make their best effort to provide practice courts before and during the event. Practice courts may be located at the host site or at sites other than those where the tournament matches are being played.  Practice courts must be available each day at the tournament site(s) one hour before matches begin.   

Emergency Medical Plan & Athletic Trainers

The ITA no longer requires but recommends, if your budget allows, that a certified athletic trainer be on site (or at the main site if multiple sites are used) at least one-half hour before play begins each day and during all hours of play. If athletic training services will not be available, host sites must inform participants prior to the event. 

It is required that tournament directors have a plan in place for medical emergencies.

Stringing

Stringing services should also be provided to participants.  If stringing services will not be available, host sites should inform participants prior to the event. 

Ice & Water

The ITA requires tournament directors to provide ice and water at all facilities being used during the event.  It is preferable that ice and water would be placed on the court but in the event that this is not possible, water and ice should be placed off the court in an easily identifiable and accessible location and be free to participants.

Bathrooms/Locker Rooms/Maintenance

Host sites must make available bathroom and/or locker room facilities to all participants during the course of the event as well as provide appropriate facility maintenance as needed.  

How to Manually Add Players

May Training Session- Zoom Recording

Tournament Application- General PDF

Player Selection Instructions

Creating Doubles Teams

Add a Player to Another Event- After Selections

Withdrawing a Player

Move a Player from Alternates to Selected

Creating Draws in Tournament Desk

Create, Publish, and Delete Draws

Split Draws

Voluntary Consolation Draws

Assigning Seeds

Scheduling Matches

Enter Scores on Draws

Extra Score Entry Designation

Doubles Pairing in Tournament Desk

Change Doubles Teams

Registration Fees- Payment Status

Payment Requests

Transaction Report for Payments

Player Communication- Email

Player Communication- SMS

Adding a Facility and Configuring Courts

Manually Add a Player

Manage and Edit my Stripe Express Account

Collecting Payouts in Stripe Express

Add an Administrator to Your Serve Tennis Account

For Players: Add a Credit or Debit Card

For Players: Invite/Accept Doubles Partner/ Set yourself as Looking