FAQS

On the events section of the tournament details, the selection process is listed. It may say something like Manul or Top Down By Ranking. If it is top down by ranking, then usually on the Tournament Overview there may be text to specify either by WTN or National Ranking. If it says manual, it usually is a combination of rankings which will also be listed on the Tournament Overview tab. It may say something like: Players will be selected for the tournament in the following order: 1 - 13 Players based on the most recent National Standings List (NSL) 2 - 3 Players based on WTNOn the overview tab of the tournament, the tournament director will usually specify how the players are selected. Once you determine how the selection process will work, on the players tab, select the appropriate division you are interested in. Then click on the ranking in the table header. A line will be added in the list of players showing where your player(s) will be in the draw. If the tournament includes two conditions like 1-13 based on NSL, and 2-3 on WTN, then first sort the players by Rank, then on the 14th player click in the WTN column to sort the remainder of the players by WTN.

Lower level tournaments can be a bit of a wild west compared to higher level events. Many of them don't have officials on site, so line calls and scoring disputes are handled by the players themselves under the standard "Code of Conduct" rules. Draws, schedules, and communication also tend to be less formal, so check in with the tournament director directly if something looks off rather than assuming it will be corrected automatically.

Selection criteria is usually listed on the tournament's Overview tab, but not always — some tournaments only summarize it there and link out to a separate document (often a PDF) with the full details. If the Overview tab doesn't fully explain how players are chosen, look for a linked document before assuming the criteria isn't published.

Yes. Read the tournament's format language carefully — many tournaments reserve the right to change the format (for example, from a full draw to round robin, or adjusting the number of matches guaranteed) based on how many players actually enter. The entry fee typically doesn't change even if the format does, so a smaller or larger field than expected doesn't mean a refund or adjustment.

Signing up (entering) a USTA tournament doesn't charge you anything by itself — you're only charged once your child is accepted into the draw. However, players generally aren't supposed to be entered in more than one tournament for the same date range at a time; doing so can result in a point penalty. See USTA's Friend at Court rulebook for the full rules on withdrawals and multiple entries.

USTA junior tournaments are assigned a level from 1 to 7, with Level 1 being the most competitive/highest stakes and Level 7 being entry level. Level generally determines how many national points the tournament is worth, how far players may need to travel, and how selective the acceptance process is.

• Level 1–2 — National-level events with the strongest fields and the most ranking points on the line. Acceptance is highly competitive and usually driven by national ranking.
• Level 3–5 — Sectional/regional events, each split into Open (any eligible player may enter, subject to acceptance) and Closed (restricted to players from that section, or another eligibility restriction spelled out on the tournament page).
• Level 6–7 — Local/entry level tournaments, typically with smaller fields, fewer restrictions, and an easier path to acceptance. These are also the events most likely to run without on-site officials (see the FAQ above).

Because higher levels award more points and draw stronger fields, they're also harder to get into — check the tournament's Overview tab for its specific level and selection criteria before entering.

On the Search Filters panel, you can specify to ignore distances for tournaments above a certain level. Ordinarily this is set to "Use max distance for all levels". Select the level of the tournament where distance is not a concern and all tournaments that level or higher will be included regardless of distance.