Tennis Post Season Information
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Post Season
- District Tournaments
- Representation
At the district meet each school may enter two boys’ singles and two girls’ singles, two boys’ doubles and two girls’ doubles teams, and two mixed doubles teams. The winners of first and second place in district contests, singles and doubles, boys and girls, and mixed doubles advance to the regional contests. The first and second place contestants in the regional tournaments in all conferences advance to the state tournament.
Dates
The last day for reporting the district certification is May 1, 2024.
Entries- No entries shall be allowed for district meets, which are not submitted to the director on or before the fifth day before the first day of the meet. Districts may authorize a scratch meeting after the entries are submitted to allow for substitutions. Schools should be permitted to substitute according to approved district executive committee regulations.
- Changes in the entries that were made by the deadline should follow the suggested guidelines:
- Students who are not eligible five days prior to the meet but may become eligible at the time of the scheduled district meet may be listed on the entry form and designated as a singles or doubles or mixed doubles player for competition. They must be eligible at the time they actually compete.
- Students entered, but who have lost their eligibility because of the academic regulations, should be permitted a substitution. Students that are eligible participants from the same school should be permitted to occupy the vacated places. These substitutions should be on an eligibility form turned into the district chairman prior to the contest, postmarked no later than the day of the meet.
- If a school, which has not entered the tournament five days prior, wishes to enter the tournament at the time of the scratch meeting, it would be up to the district executive committee’s policy or authorized meet director to determine if that school could enter.
- In district meets, the district executive committee shall set entry deadlines. The district executive committee may set guidelines on substitutions prior to the start of the tournament.
- Limit on Substitution: After a tournament has begun, no substitution will be allowed.
The 7-point tie-breaker scoring system will operate when the score reaches six games all in any set. Procedure for playing the tie-breaker are as follows:- Procedure for Playing the Singles Tie-Breaker
- A player who first wins seven points shall win the game and the set provided he/she leads by a margin of two points. If the score reached six points all, the game shall be extended until this margin has been achieved. Numerical scoring shall be used throughout the tie-breaker.
- The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the server for the first point, which is delivered from the right court. His/her opponent shall be the server for the second and third point (delivered from the left court, then the right court), and thereafter each player shall serve alternately for two consecutive points (left court, then right court) until the winner of the game and set has been decided.
- Players shall change ends after every six points and at the conclusion of the tie-breaker. Note that after any change ends the server will be serving his second serving point.
- The player who served first in the set that ended in a tie-breaker shall receive service in the first game of the following set.
- Procedure for Playing the Doubles Tie-Breaker
- In doubles the procedure for singles shall apply: The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the sever for the first point. Thereafter each player shall serve in rotation for two points, in the same order as previously in that set, until the winners of the game and set have been decided.
- Players change ends after every six points and at the conclusion of the tie-breaker.
- The team that served first in the set that ended in a tie-breaker shall receive service in the first game of the following set.
- Procedure for Playing the Mixed Doubles Tie-Breaker
- In mixed doubles, the procedure for singles shall apply: the player whose turn it is to serve shall be the server for the first point. Thereafter, each player shall serve in rotation for two points, in the same order as previously in that set, until the winners of the game and set have been decided.
- Players change ends after every six points and at the conclusion of the tie-breaker.
- The team that served first in the set that ended in a tie-breaker shall receive service in the first game of the following set.
In tennis district and regional tournaments, the loser in the finals will play the winner of the third-place match (to determine second place) unless these two contestants (or doubles or mixed doubles teams) played each other in the semifinal round. The tournament director must start the finals and consolation matches at the same time.
- Regional Tournaments
- Dates
Regional tournaments will be held May 8-11, 2024.
Regional Sites and Directors
Regional sites and directors may be found on the UIL website here.
Substitutions- Before the tournament has begun, a substitution may be made in a school tennis doubles or mixed doubles team but not in singles. A school may not substitute for a singles player, an entire doubles team or an entire mixed doubles team.
- The alternate single, doubles or mixed doubles must be used. If at all possible, call the regional director prior to Monday afternoon regarding changes in doubles or mixed doubles teams. Other doubles or mixed doubles substitutes may be permitted before beginning the tournament by notifying the site director.
- Reminder: Substitutions may be made for illness, injury, academic ineligibility or if a student is penalized by the school for misconduct or violation of the code of conduct.
The regional tournament director has two options for making the draw: 1) draw by lot; 2) seeding. Regardless of the procedure used, the directors should place the first-place winners and the second-place winners from the same district in opposite brackets.- Draw: The director will draw the names of the players and put them on the unoccupied lines of the bracket in the order in which they are drawn, starting at the top of the bracket and moving downward in sequence. As previously stated, the director should place the first and second place winners from the same districts in opposite brackets.
- Seeding (in accordance with the USTA): The tournament director/committee is allowed to seed players at a maximum ratio of one seed for every four players (e.g. with eight players, seed two players; with 16 players, seed four players). The ratings must be justified by a reasonable amount of factual evidence. After the seeded players (and byes if applicable) have been written in, fill in the rest of the draw by drawing names of the remaining players and putting them on the unoccupied lines in the order in which they are drawn, starting at the top and moving downward in sequence.
- Playoff for Second Place: In tennis district and regional tournaments, the loser in the finals will play the winner of the third-place match (to determine second place) unless these two contestants (or doubles or mixed doubles teams) played each other in the semifinal round. The tournament director must start the finals and consolation matches at the same time.
- State Tournament
- Dates
The state tournament will be held May 16-17, 2024.
Schedule
The tennis state tournament schedule can be found on the UIL website here.
Pairings
The UIL staff will conduct a drawing to determine the pairings. A (#1) region winner will play a (#2) region runner-up in the first round. Seeding will not be used, therefore seeding information is not needed or required. The draw will be random and regional representatives placed in opposite halves of the bracket.
Substitution
Before the tournament has begun, a substitute may be made by the qualifying school in tennis doubles or mixed doubles but not in singles. A school may not substitute for a singles player, an entire doubles team or an entire mixed doubles team. The alternate single, doubles or mixed doubles must be used. If at all possible, call the League 23 office prior to Monday afternoon regarding changes in doubles teams or mixed doubles. Other doubles or mixed doubles substitutes may be permitted before beginning the tournament by notifying the site director. Reminder: Substitution may be made for illness, injury or academic ineligibility or if a student is penalized by the school for misconduct or violation of the code of conduct.
Balls
UIL will furnish balls for all matches at the state tournament. They will be the Pro Penn Marathon Extra Duty.
Awards
Upon qualifying for the state tournament please submit the total number of players and coaches that will represent your team at the state meet. Awards shall be distributed at the tennis tournament at the conclusion of the match. Site directors will present the awards.