ITA Fall Mixed Doubles - the Colorado Tennis Association

ITA FALLMIXED DOUBLES LEAGUE
2007 OPERATING PROCEDURES
Denver Metro
(Changes from the 2006 Operating Procedures are underlined.)
ELIGIBILITY
All players participating in the ITA Fall Mixed Doubles League must be adult members of the United States Tennis
Association (USTA) and have reached the age of 19 on or before December 31, 2007. Membership must be current
through the league season (September 30, 2007). All facilities participating in the league must be current organizational
members of the USTA. A player may play on more than one (1) team in the ITA Fall Mixed Doubles League.
PARTICIPANTS
Based on the National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) the levels of play will be: 5.5, 6.5, 7.5, 8.5, and 9.5, which will indicate the
combined NTRP ratings of the two individuals who form that team. The combined rating must be equal to or less than the level at
which they are playing. Example – a 3.5 man and a 4.0 woman must play at the 7.5 level or higher.
Each league participant must have a published NTRP rating from the 2004, 2005 or 2006 season or they must declare a
self-rating on TennisLink when he / she registers for a team.
MATCHES
Team competition will consist of three (3) mixed doubles matches. A team member may play only one position per
match. Teams are encouraged to place their players for each match in order of strength.
Play will be best two of three sets, with a Coman Set Tiebreak (first to 7 by 2) if play reaches 6 games all. In the event
of split sets, a Coman Match Tiebreak (first to 10 by 2) may be substituted in lieu of a third set if all players participating
in the individual match agree to the substitution. The decision to substitute the Coman Match Tiebreak in lieu of a third
set should be made prior to the start of the match. If all players participating in the individual match do not agree, then
the third set must be played out. Once agreed upon there should be no further discussion. If the Coman Match Tiebreak
is played in lieu of the third set, the match tiebreak must be recorded as 7-6 on TennisLink.
NOTE: Recording a score as 7-6 when a tiebreaker is played has a negligible effect on NTRP ratings.
In 2007, the USTA introduced the Coman Tie-break procedure at its National events. The Colorado Tennis
Association and the Intermountain Tennis Association introduced the procedure at the USTA Senior Championships
in 2006. The CTA’s Adult Programs Committee unanimously voted in favor of implementing this procedure for all of
the CTA’s local leagues as well as all of the District Championships in 2007.
Here is how the Coman Tie-break procedure works:
The Coman Tie-break procedure can be used as a set tie-break (first to 7 by 2) or a match tie-break (first to 10 by 2).
Players will exchange ends of the court after the first point and every 4 points thereafter. This tie-break procedure
allows doubles teams to continue serving from the same side of the court as they have been doing throughout the set
or match.
The 2007 USTA League Tennis Regulations and CTA Operating Procedures are in effect for all matches. CTA
Operating Procedures may take precedence over USTA League Regulations in cases of overlap. In all matches played
without officials, the USTA official publication “The Code” shall be observed.
All players need to arrive at the appropriate match time unless notified otherwise by their captain. A forfeit may be called
15 minutes after the established starting time. The Point Penalty System is not in effect for unofficiated league matches.
Warm-up time is limited to 10 minutes.
Each participating site (club/facility) must have three courts available for league matches.
League matches do not take precedence over tournament matches. If a player signs up for a tournament and creates a
conflict with a scheduled league match, the player must choose which match he/she will play and which match he/she
will forfeit should a substitute player not be available for the league match.

Team captains are required to reschedule one or all of their individual matches if their opposing team’s player(s) are
participating in a CTA State Championship, USTA District Championship, a USTA Sectional Championship or a
USTA National Championship. Only the individual match(es) affected needs to be rescheduled. The line-up for the
match(es) being rescheduled should be exchanged at the time of the rescheduling. All rescheduled matches must be
made up no later than October 3, 2007. The CTA League department must be notified when there is a request to
reschedule a match due to a conflict with a playoff.
MATCH TIMES
Mixed Doubles 12:30 PM
Mixed Doubles 3:00 PM
6.5, 8.5 Sunday @ 12:30 5.5, 7.5, 9.5 Sunday @ 3:00 PM
Alternative court surfaces may be used if hard courts are not available for all or some of the individual matches. If a
home team Captain plans to play any of their individual matches on alternative court surfaces, this Captain must
designate prior to the exchange of line-ups which position(s) will be played on alternative court surfaces. If the home
team fails to designate the specific matches to be played on alternative surfaces before exchanging line-ups, the visiting
team Captain has the ability to designate which matches will be played on the available courts. The home team will
furnish new, high altitude, pressurized, optic yellow, USTA approved balls.
ROSTERS
A team roster must include a minimum of six players. Players must be registered on their team prior to playing their first
match. Matches played by non-registered players may result in the matches being declared defaults. Additions to
rosters may be done until September 30, 2007. Players who have not played a league match may be moved to another
team until September 30, 2007. The deadline for deleting players is July 27, 2007. Contact the CTA League
Department at 303/695-4116 with any registration problems or questions.
Teams with the minimum number of required players must be registered on TennisLink by July 23, 2007 to be included
in the league schedule. Teams registered after these dates are subject to acceptance by the League Coordinator.
Teams playing outside the Denver Metro area should contact their Area League Coordinator for applicable deadline
dates.
TEAM CAPTAINS AND FACILITY COORDINATORS
Each facility coordinator will:
1. Sign up to receive BLAST! and Adult League Alerts!
2. Distribute correspondence from their League Coordinator to the captains and request all captains to sign up to
receive BLAST! and Adult League Alerts!.
3. Review team rosters and report changes, corrections and deletions to their League Coordinator.
4. Submit a complete team captain information form to their League Coordinator no later than July 26, 2007
Each team captain will:
1. Sign up to receive BLAST! and Adult League Alerts!
2. Make available to each team member a copy of the Operating Procedures and the USTA League Tennis
Regulations. Operating Procedures are also available on COLORADOTENNIS.com.
3. Ensure that the players arrive at the proper time and place for their match each week. To avoid problems, the
home team captain MUST call the opposing team captain at least 48 hours before each match to confirm
match times, court availability, court surfaces, restrooms or other special club policies.
4. Exchange lineups simultaneously before the match. After lineups are exchanged, team positions are set.
If a lineup is altered after the exchange, both team captains must agree to the change.
5. Report match scores through TennisLink within 72 hours of match completion.
SCORING
A Team Match Format will be used. The team winning the majority of the three matches will be awarded one team
point.
Blank scorecards can be printed by accessing TennisLink (COLORADOTENNIS.com (helpful links). Scores can only be
reported online by accessing TennisLink. Scores must be reported within 72 hours of match completion. Failure to
report scores within 72 hours of the completion of the match may result in penalties to include loss of match.

Either team captain or alternate team captain may report the score. The opposing team captain should verify scores
through TennisLink. Any scores not received by October 3, 2007 may be recorded as a double default. This date
constitutes the end of the local league season.
FORFEITS
During the local league season, a team must have a minimum of four eligible players available for play in each match or the entire
match must be forfeited. In the case of a forfeit, the number three doubles position must be forfeited with all other players moving
up.
Before entering a complete match forfeit, the team captain must inform their League Coordinator of the reason for the
forfeit. The League Coordinator may require the team match to be played. In the event of a complete match forfeit (2 or
more individual matches), all matches played and to be played for the entire league season may be null and void. Any
individual matches that can be played shall be played and scored accordingly.
INDIVIDUAL MATCH FORFEITS
Prior to the match, if a Captain notifies their opposing Captain that he/she will be forfeiting any of the individual matches
then the forfeit stands, even if the team match is rained out. If both Captains agree to play the match that was forfeited
they may do so. The match will then count as if it was never forfeited.
SUSPENDED OR RAINED OUT MATCHES
Unless agreed upon by both captains, all players must be present at match time, even if a rain out is obvious. Rained
out or suspended matches are to be made up within two weeks of the originally scheduled match or by October 3, 2007,
whichever is first. The new, agreed upon re-scheduled match date becomes the scheduled date for the match to take
place. A lineup with players who will be in town and able to play within the two week allotted time must be exchanged
with the opposing captain within 48 hours of the originally scheduled match. Once lineups have been exchanged, no
changes are allowed without consent of both captains. If a match has started and is suspended, play begins with the
same set and game score. Once a match has started, no player changes may be made. If additional time is needed to
complete a match, the home team captain must contact their League Coordinator for an extension.
GRIEVANCES
A grievance alleging a violation of the USTA Constitution, By-Laws, Standing Orders, League Regulations or standards
of good conduct, fair play and sportsmanship must be filed with the District League Grievance Committee by the team
captain of the team that has competed in the match or by a League Coordinator. A grievance filed by a team captain
during local league competition must be filed prior to the team’s next match or within 24 hours after the end of local
league play, whichever occurs first by fax, e-mail or mail to the CTA. A $30 fee must accompany the grievance and is
refundable only if it is determined that a violation has occurred. League Coordinators may file a grievance within 48
hours after becoming aware of the violation.
The District League Grievance Committee will send a copy of the complaint to the parties against whom the complaint is
made. As soon as reasonable, the District League Grievance Committee shall investigate the complaint with anyone
deemed appropriate and render its decision in writing to both parties. The Committee shall have the power to correct
any violations found by reasonable means and/or suspend the player(s) from the USTA League Tennis program and/or
reverse any previous points earned by the player(s) in prior matches.
Either party may appeal the decision of the District League Grievance Committee within 10 days of the postmark on the
envelope rendering the Committee’s decision. All appeals must be filed in writing with the District League Grievance
Appeal Committee.
All grievances are subject to the 2007 USTA National League regulations.
SELF-RATE ELIGIBILITY GRIEVANCE COMPLAINT
A self-rate eligibility grievance complaint may be filed when it is believed that a self-rated player misrepresented
his/her actual skill level when he/she self-rated. This would be a violation of the standards of good conduct, fair play
and good sportsmanship. A self-rate eligibility grievance complaint must be filed during the local league season by
any team captain in the league or by a League Coordinator. A $30 fee must accompany the complaint and is
refundable only if the complaint is upheld.
The decision of the NTRP Appeal Committee shall be by majority vote. If the NTRP Appeal Committee decides the
player is not properly rated and is disqualified for that level of play, all matches played by the disqualified player shall

e considered a loss. The player may not play at the disqualified NTRP level of play for the remainder of the league
year and for the succeeding league year.
SCHEDULES
Schedules will be available on TennisLink on July 30, 2007. Please check your schedule for any errors. Contact your
League Coordinator immediately if errors are found. The 2007 sanctioned tournament schedule was taken into
consideration while preparing the schedules.
FEES
The CTA League fee will be $16 per person plus the USTA’s TennisLink user fee or Active.com fee. League fees will
not be refunded after July 27, 2007. The USTA’s TennisLink user fee or Active.com fee is not refundable.
PLAYOFFS
Only the team with the most team points in each division will become eligible for the District Playoffs October 5-7, 2007.
Wild card teams may be invited to participate in the playoff should the Tournament Committee determine that it would
improve the event. It will be the sole discretion of the Tournament Committee to decide if wild card teams are invited to
participate. Only 2 nd place teams will be considered as wild cards. Wild card teams will be randomly drawn from a
statewide pool of 2 nd place teams.
Wild Card Selection Guide
If level has… Denver Metro receives Outlying Areas receive
1 Wildcard 75% chance 25% chance
2 Wildcards 1 + 50% chance for 2nd 50% chance for 1 W/C
3 Wildcards 2 wildcards 1 wildcard
4 Wildcards 3 wildcards 1 wildcard
5 Wildcards 4 wildcards 1 wildcard
For more information on wild card teams in the ITA Mixed Doubles District Playoffs please visit
COLORADOTENNIS.com .
If there is a tie within the division, the tie shall be broken by the first of the following procedures that does so:
1. Winner of the most individual matches during the league season
2. Loser of the fewest sets
3. Loser of the fewest games
4. Winner of head to head matches
5. Coin toss
Teams must bring 6 players to the Championships to be eligible to play. Teams without the minimum number of players
may file a waiver for permission to compete with less than a full team. Waiver requests must be received by October 1,
2007 and should be emailed to jason.rogers@coloradotennis.com or mailed to the Colorado Tennis Association, to the
attention of Jason Rogers, Adult League Program Director at 1241 S. Parker Road, Suite 100, Denver, CO 80231.
To qualify for the playoffs, an individual must have played in a minimum of 2 matches. A forfeited match will count as a
match played for the player(s) receiving the forfeit, but not for the player who forfeited. The District League Champion for
all levels will be determined by a flighted round robin format. Scoring in the playoffs will be the best two of three sets
with a Coman match tiebreak (first to 10 by 2) played in lieu of the third set. Hard court surfaces will be used.
Winning teams at the District level will have 48 hours to confirm that they will be competing in the Sectional
Championship in Las Vegas, date TBD. If confirmation is not received, the second place team will be given the
opportunity to compete in the Sectional Championship. Should a team confirm participation then withdraw from the
Sectional Championship, members of the team may not be allowed to participate in the ITA Fall Mixed Doubles League
in 2008.
Please contact Sue Coons at the Colorado Tennis Association, 1241 S. Parker Rd. Suite 100 Denver, CO 80231 phone
303/695-4116 x 210, email: suzanne@coloradotennis.com, fax 303/695-6302 or your Area League Coordinator with any
questions.