USTA Flex Leagues – Convenience for your Tennis Life

·         USTA Flex Leagues offer players a new way to enjoy organized competition without the commitment to a specific schedule or team. Weekly match play is arranged by you and your opponent based on your availability.

·         The easy round robin format provides convenient competition for your tennis life based on individual skill level.

 Rules and Guidelines

·       Please join the league if you are committed to scheduling and playing 5-8 singles matches.

·       Factors such as geography, number of players at a particular level, preferred playing time and separating players from the same club are all considered when determining flights. 

·       Schedules will be made available to players at least one week prior to the start of the season.

·       Players must be age 18 or over in this calendar year and willing to play the league within the defined area.

·       Rules of Tennis and The Code for Unofficiated Matches apply.  Coaching is not allowed in Flex League matches.

Ratings

·          Flex League results do not effect NTRP ratings. 

·          Players with current NTRP Ratings in Tennis Link must use that rating.  They may play no more than .5 above their rating level but may not play below. Players without ratings must self-rate according to the NTRP guidelines.

·          This league does not accept NTRP related grievances. Players are expected to exercise the highest level of integrity while competing in this program.

Format

·          A round robin format is used with one match assigned per week.  Two additional weeks are included at the end of the season to make up missed matches. 

·          Scoring format is best 2 of 3 sets with a 10-point match tiebreaker played in lieu of a third set and scored as 1-0. If both players agree, the third set may be played out, but will still be scored as 1-0.

Scheduling

·          Our website offers an Availability page where players can notify their opponents where and when they prefer to play.  Please be flexible with a variety of available days/times.

·          Flex League uses 'play by' dates, players should try to schedule and play matches by that date. If both players agree, matches can be played at any time.  Matches can be played in any order.  ALL matches must be completed and scores posted by the last day of the season.  Matches may always be played earlier when both players agree.

·          The home player is responsible for initial contact to schedule the match but both players are encouraged to make contact.  It’s recommended to contact all opponents at the beginning of the season to start the scheduling dialog.  Some player’s schedules are more compatible than others.  Schedule and play the most convenient matches first.

·          Player(s) listed as “home' should provide the balls, reserve the courts for their home matches and expect that the “away” player travels to them.  The “home” player can offer to travel to the “away” players location if he/she chooses.  The date, time and location of the match must be agreed upon by both players.  Weekends are the required time to play if both players can not agree on a week day or week night.

·          If your club has guest fees that apply to your opponent, the fee is your responsibility. 

·          If a match is rained out, it should be rescheduled and completed as soon as possible.

Courts

·          USTA NorCal offers a court finder service on our website.

·          Visit the courts you’re planning to use in advance for lights, condition, parking, time restrictions, et.c.  Communicate this to your opponents.

·          Reserve courts for at least 1.5 hours if at all possible.

·          Your club may have guest fees that apply to your opponent.  If your club does not waive fees for Flex matches, the fee is your responsibility.  You are also responsible for providing balls for the match.

Awards

·          Flight winners will be determined by the standings on the last day of the season.  In the event of a tie, head to head competition will determine the winner followed by % of sets won and then % of games won. 

Defaults

·          Within 24 hours of the agreed match time, the player unable to play will default the match unless the player receiving the default prefers to reschedule the match. 

·          It is the home player's responsibility to insure that the court is playable prior to the scheduled match time.  If the visiting player arrives and the court is not playable, the visiting player may take a default or ask to reschedule the match at their court.

·          If a player does not arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, that player will default the match unless the opponent agrees to extend the time or reschedule the match.

·          Defaults can greatly impact standings in many ways but are sometimes unavoidable. Defaults will be scored as a 6-0, 6-0 win for the player receiving the default. Excessive defaults by players who do not withdraw will be monitored for future seasons.

Withdrawing from the League

·          In the event that a player must withdraw from the league prior to completing the schedule, they should notify the administrator and their opponents. An “email all” function is available in the league standings page.

·          If a player withdraws from the round robin flight prior to playing a match, the player will be deleted from the flight if a substitute player is not available.

·          If a player withdraws in the flight after playing a match, all players in the group will receive a 6-0,6-0 win against the withdrawing player. This rule attempts to give credit to players who have already played a withdrawing player without penalizing those players who did not play the withdrawing player.

·          The administrator will attempt to replace a player who must withdraw with a substitute for the remainder of the season.  The substitute will retain the original player’s record but neither player will be eligible for the playoffs.

·          No refunds will be issued once the schedules have been posted.