Blakeney Junior Open NC L3 (2021 Nat L6)

Alternates by Event - Monday, 6/22

While the tournament is taking many precautions to ensure the safety of all players and parents who are participating, ALL PLAYERS AND PARENTS MUST TAKE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for their own safety while attending the event. The regulations below are to ensure that the tournament is doing everything it can to provide a safe competitive environment. The Tournament Staff would like to thank each of you for your questions and patience as we try to provide a quality tournament experience for each of you in the pandemic world. We ask that you comply with the rules and regulation we have laid out for the safety of everyone involved. The rules are in effect at each of the sites and will be enforced by Tournament Staff and USTA Officials.

All draws have been posted. PLEASE NOTE THAT DRAWS MAY CHANGE BETWEEN NOW AND THE DAY YOU PLAY DUE TO WITHDRAWALS. That said, no players would be changed to a different draw or day of play. Continue to check this website often for any changes.


To access the Match Tennis App for FREE, you must use the link in the information below. If you got directly to the website or through an app store, you will be asked to pay for use of the app.

1. All players and parents must follow the directions given below to participate in this tournament. To ensure public safety during the COVID pandemic, all players and parents MUST follow the regulations listed or directions given by tournament officials or staff. Any player or parent that does not follow the protocols set forth below will be removed from the tournament and asked to leave the premises.

2. All draws will be 8-player draws using the waterfall method to distribute the players evenly across the draws. Each draw will be played in its entirety in one day to ensure players are only at the tournament site for the one-day.

3. The tournament will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at three separate sites: Blakeney Racquet & Swim Club, Russell Tennis Center and Piper Glen Club (The GPS address to each site is listed below). Each site will follow the protocols listed here. These other sites are gracious enough to let us use their facilities, as many facilities in the area will not allow outsiders to use their courts. The protocols listed here are to ensure compliance with their own facility policies during the pandemic.

Blakeney Racquet & Swim Club 10607 Rea Rd, Charlotte, NC 28277
Russell Tennis Center 1024 Sardis Ln, Charlotte, NC 28270
TPC Piper Glen, 4300 Piper Glen Dr, Charlotte, 29277

4. Players and parents are to bring their own chairs and water to each match. The facilities will not provide seating for players or spectators and will not have water available. Each player may have ONE parent/guardian/chaperone/representative with them on the grounds of the facility. Any other persons who may be travelling with the player MUST remain in the car for the duration of their time on the grounds of all facilities. Violations of this regulation will result in a player being removed from the tournament. No pets are allowed on the grounds of the facilities.

5. Only players or the person with the player may use the restroom facilities at each site. Other persons will not be allowed into the buildings at each site.

6. Players and their parties are expected to remain in their cars or leave the facility at any time there are not on court playing a match. Players are not allowed to remain on the facility grounds to watch their friend’s matches or to watch the matches for their brother or sister. Players are counted as the player representative for the purpose of these protocols when not playing a match.

7. The person accompanying the player must set up their chair in the specified viewing area based upon if their player is designated as Player A or Player B for that match. This designated area will be a minimum of 20 feet away from the court and may require the spectator to view the match from a long distance several courts away or through windscreens on the fences. We will not be using the viewing towers or facility decks at Blakeney. Violations of these protocols will result in the player being removed from the tournament.

8. The draw will be a Feed-In (through the quarterfinals) Consolation in accordance with USTA/North Carolina junior tennis regulations. The losers in the Quarterfinals (first round) will feed into the back draw. The losers of the Semifinals will move into the Playoff Match. We will play a Consolation Playoff match for any draws where there is a Bye in the draw and an uneven number of players.

9. All matches will be played by The Code for unofficiated matches. Officials will be available for rules questions or to settle other disputes, but will not be on the court serving as line judges during the tournament.

10. The protocol for all matches will be as follows:
- Players will arrive on site, REMAIN IN THEIR CAR and check in through the Match Tennis App a minimum of 15 minutes prior to their scheduled match time. See below on how to download the Match Tennis App.

- The player listed on the top line of the match in the draw will be designated as Player A. The player listed on the bottom line of the match in the draw will be designated as Player B. Players will set their chair and other items in the designated place on the court according to their designation as Player A or Player B.

- Players will spin the racquet themselves to determine choice of serve or side. Balls will already be placed on the court at the net for the match. ***One can of balls will be used for each match unless a request is made per below: Either player may request that their matches use two cans of tennis balls (one for each player to serve with) so long as the request is made PRIOR to checking in for their match by texting the request with the player’s name to 704-300-7940. If a match is using two cans of balls, one can will be ODD numbers and the other can will be EVEN numbers to designate which player uses which balls for serving. Players are NOT to mark the balls in any way using markers or other items.

- Upon completion of the match, players will have five minutes to leave the court, drop their match balls into the designated box and submit their final score through the Match Tennis App.

11. The Finals and the Playoff Match for 3rd/4th Place will use regular scoring: the best two-of-three tiebreak sets to six games with a match tiebreak in lieu of a full third set and regular scoring.

12. To ensure social distancing and control the flow of people at the tournament, we will utilize a TIMED MATCH SCORING FORMAT for the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and all consolation matches will be as follows:

- Play will begin at the sound of the horn. Players do not start early, even if both players desire to
- Play will last for 1 hour and 15 minutes for all age divisions except 10 & under matches will play for one-hour
- Play MUST stop when the horn sounds (even if a point is in play, it will not count)
- If a game is not completed, players do not finish the game
- Any game that is not completed does not count in the score (If the score is 3-1 or 40-15 when the horn sounds, the game does not count)
- The player who wins the most games wins the match
- If the game score is tied when the horn sounds, the players will continue playing the game that is in progress to decide the winner.
- The scoring will be no-ad scoring (first to win 4 points wins the game). The Receiver chooses which side to return serve when the score is 3-3
- Based on these protocols, there is no coaching period in timed matches, even if the score is tied at the end of the regulation period.

All divisions may be played on hard or clay courts depending on the draws. Consolation draws may switch to another surface if necessary for scheduling. Update: All divisions will be played on clay courts, except Boys 16s which will be played on hard courts. Girls 18s consolation may be played on hard courts.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Based on some of the phone calls and emails received over the past several days, we are providing a FAQ for some of those questions and the answers to those questions:

In the timed matches, what happens if a player has won a set, but is down in the second set?
The scoring for the timed matches does not include “playing sets” as we are used to in normal scoring formats. Players will continue to play games until time expires. The final score could be 10-5 or 22-16. This eliminates the “what if” described in your question.

In a timed match, what if we are in the middle of a point when the horn sounds?
Play stops immediately and the point being played does not count. The match is over and the person with the most games when the horn sounds wins the match. If the game score should be tied when the horn sounds, then play will continue in that last game until a player has won that game. If a point was in play when the horn sounds, a let is called and the point is replayed.

In a timed match, what if I am down in the game score 5-6 but I am up 3-0 (40-love) in the game when the horn sounds to stop play?
The match is over since the last game was not completed PRIOR to when the horn sounds.

Are bathroom breaks allowed during a timed match?
Players will be granted ONE bathroom break with a time limit of 3 minutes during timed matches. A verbal announcement will be made with one minute left in the break. Players who are not back on the court within the three minute time limit will initially receive a Time Warning with a one-point penalty for each 25 seconds after the initial warning until they are on court and ready to resume play. To take a bathroom break, the player must STAY ON COURT, RAISE THEIR RACQUET and receive permission from a USTA Official or Tournament Staff prior to leaving the court. No bathroom breaks may be taken in the last 15 minutes of the timed period in timed matches. If a player requires a second bathroom break and must leave the court, they must retire the match.

How do I know when to report to the court for the match?
For ALL matches, a message will be sent through the Match Tennis App to your cell phone register in the app when you should report to your court. This message should be sent roughly 5 minutes prior to your match time.

How do I know what court to report to for the match?
For ALL matches, a message will be sent through the Match Tennis App to your cell phone register in the app as to which court you should go to. This message should be sent roughly 5 minutes prior to your match time.

Will there be a warning before the start of a timed match?
We will announce a 1-minute warning prior to the start of the timed matches.

Will there be a warning before the end of the timed match?
No, the only announcement for the end of a timed match will be the horn sounding.

Is there a warm-up period prior to the match?
If both players are on court prior to the stated match time, they may elect to have a brief warm-up until the 1-minute warning before the start of the match.

Will there be warm-up courts available for use at the playing sites?
No, there will not be courts available for use by players for a warm-up on site. If a court happens to be open, we ask that all players and parents DO NOT go on these courts! This includes the other facilities being used for matches.

How many matches will I play?
We will play out the main draw to completion and play all matches in the consolation draw. Players who lose in the semifinals and the consolation semifinals will also play the playoff match for 3rd place and 7th place. For draws with eight players, each player will play three matches during the day.

When do we play the regular scoring format?
Only the Main Draw Finals and the Main Draw Playoff Match for 3rd/4th place will use regular scoring for those final matches of the day. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the main draw and all consolation matches will use the timed match format.

Where will the Tournament Desk be located?
The main tournament desk will be located on the 2nd floor deck of the main clubhouse at Blakeney Racquet Club. All communication with the tournament desk can be made through the Match Tennis App or by texting/calling 704-300-7940.

What if I have an issue during my match? How can I get help?
First, STAY ON COURT! Raise your racquet so the official or tournament staff can see you and they will come to your court to assist you.

Please feel free to email any other questions to the Tournament Referee at scott@scoben.com

Tournament Schedule
The basic schedule for the tournament this weekend is as follows. Times are to be determined and will be published with the draws on Tuesday by the end of the day. The earliest matches on Friday will be at 9:30am and Saturday and Sunday at 8am. Players are to report directly to their playing site and do not have to check-in at Blakeney Racquet Club. PLAYERS MUST BE ON SITE AND CHECKED INTO THE MATCH TENNIS APP 15 MINUTES BEFORE THEIR MATCH TIME.

Friday Matches
Boys 12s Draw A at Russell Tennis Center
Girls 12s Draw A at Russell Tennis Center

Girls 16s Draw A at Blakeney Racquet Club
Girls 14s Draw A at Blakeney Racquet Club
Boys 16s Draw A at Blakeney Racquet Club
Boys 14s Draw A at Blakeney Racquet Club

Saturday Matches
Boys 10s At Russell Tennis Center
Girls 10s At Russell Tennis Center

Boys 18s Draw A at TPC Piper Glen

Girls 18s Draw A at Blakeney Racquet Club
Girls 16s Draw B at Blakeney Racquet Club
Girls 14s Draw B at Blakeney Racquet Club
Boys 16s Draw B at Blakeney Racquet Club
Boys 14s Draw B at Blakeney Racquet Club

Sunday Matches
Boys 12s Draw B at Russell Tennis Center
Girls 12s Draw B at Russell Tennis Center

Boys 18s Draw A at TPC Piper Glen

Girls 18s Draw B at Blakeney Racquet Club
Girls 16s Draw C at Blakeney Racquet Club
Girls 14s Draw C at Blakeney Racquet Club
Boys 16s Draw C at Blakeney Racquet Club
Boys 14s Draw C at Blakeney Racquet Club

Player Gifts & Trophies
Due to the COVID virus, it is the policy of the Return to Play Task Force of USTA/North Carolina that tournaments DO NOT provide player gifts or trophies to reduce the risk of players and parents catching the COVID-19 virus.

In response to the COVID-19, we will be using Match Tennis App’s Virtual Tournament Desk technology to help facilitate CDC best practices.

In order to compete in this event, all competitors MUST click the below link to fill out the check-in form, and sign the waiver for this tournament.
more info

For the safety of all Tournament players, parents, coaches and staff we will NOT be using a physical tournament desk where social gathering is most common. We instead will be using Match Tennis App’s Virtual Tournament Desk to help facilitate CDC guidelines for social distancing. Please click the "more info" link to learn how we will be using VTD to keep you SAFE during the tournament: more info

MORE INFORMATION ON THE SPECIFICS RELATED TO THE TOPICS LISTED BELOW WILL BE AVAILABLE on FRIDAY by 5PM AND WILL BE BASED ON THE NUMBER OF REGISTRATIONS AT THAT TIME. We ask for all players and parents to be patient as we are working to provide the safest environment possible while we return to the tennis courts.

Junior Tournament Update from USTA North Carolina as of 6/5/2020 (Phase 2):

Tournament Directors may need to adapt the tournament to the facility with potential changes in format and size of draws, number of players, and scheduling. Any changes or adaptations will be in consult with the USTA NC office. Juniors will play outdoor singles-only events until further notice. Awards, player gifts, and hospitality may be forgone to minimize contact and maximize safety until it is deemed clear to return to these practices.
• Tournament Directors and/or facilities are following what are known to be best practices and guidelines during this Phase 2 timeline; tournament structure may differ across the state during this time.
• Players and their families will be responsible for following all local and facility safety and social distancing precautions.
• Technology use for waiver access will be required for this tournament
• Although tournament officials will be present, players will be responsible for playing an unofficiated match as well as knowing The Code (Friend at Court 2020).

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