A Tale of Two Cities (and Masters)

Before the deployment of the USTA unified National Ranking system, the Masters was the most prestigious Adult tournament in the Texas Section. The primary driver of that status was because it was a challenge to get into the tournament. Only the top 8 ranked players were selected for the event. Getting to the Masters required playing a lot of big tournaments in the Section and performing consistently well. It was an accomplishment.

When the USTA divided NTRP levels into three age divisions, that move essentially tripled the number of slots available to players. Suddenly, it wasn’t hard to get into the Masters at all. Examining the application and selection list for the tournament reveals that most players who applied got in. Additionally, several divisions included players who qualified via participation points. It’s simply not an accomplishment anymore in most divisions.

Additionally, the threefold increase in the divisions at the tournament meant that it was no longer possible to conduct the event at the same site. This year the 18+ Masters was conducted two weekends ago in Austin, and the 40+ and 55+ Masters was held the following weekend in San Antonio. One of the most enjoyable parts of the tournament in past years was hanging around with all the best players in the Section for the weekend. That isn’t happening anymore due to the fragmentation in divisions.

Additionally, in years past, there were differences in the amenities between the two Masters. While the Texas Section office and tournament directors have worked hard to eliminate the disparities, there are still factors they cannot control. This year the 18+ Masters fought through rain delays all weekend. In fact, the tournament was not fully completed.

The struggles of the 18+ Masters were exacerbated by the decision to conduct the tournament using Fast4 since an 8 person/team round robin was used for the event. There was simply no other viable scoring format for a three-day tournament. However, there was no way to shorten the format further when the rains came. This should be a cautionary tale for other tournament organizers scheduling Fast4 scoring events.

On a personal note, I played in the 18+ tournament, and the Trophy Husband played the 40+/55+ tournament the following weekend. Splitting of the divisions means that we rarely get to play the same tournaments anymore. That might not seem like a big deal, but it is unlikely that he ever would have started playing tournaments without the opportunity to enter one I was already going to.

The divisional fragmentation is killing participation. People don’t want to travel to play tiny draws with the same handful of players every time. The tournament ecosystem is more vibrant, with larger draws and more variety in opponents. Counting total tournament registrations might give the illusion that tournaments are doing OK, but the corrosive effect is clear when examining the entry lists for the Masters.

When anyone off the street can get selected for the Masters, players quickly realize it is no longer worth pursuing because it is no longer exclusive. Additionally, splitting the divisions into separate tournament weekends greatly diminishes the social benefits.

It needs to be hard to get into the Masters. That will drive participation in the lower-level tournaments as players vie for that scarce resource. It needs to be turned back into a race for points. Even if the USTA can’t opt out of NTRP age divisions in Section tournaments, it might be worth considering only conducting the Masters at 18+.

After all, the Master’s advertises itself as “The Best in Texas.” Logically there can be only one “Best” at each NTRP level.