Fiend at Court Unplugged
Yesterday my post included a map of all the currently confirmed USTA National Level Adult tournaments for 2021. Under the consolidated Adult Tournament Framework rolling out in January these tournaments are designated at Levels 1, 2, and 3. Today I am zooming in on the tournaments specifically in Texas. For anyone who is new here, Texas is my home section.
There are five USTA National Level tournaments scheduled within Texas in 2021. At first glance, that might seem like any player in Texas can easily play 5 events, but that is simply not the case. The number of potential events is lower for all players based on gender. Additionally, age group restrictions also limit playing options for many players.
The National Senior Women’s Clay Court National Championships
Of the five tournaments located in Texas, only one is a “Level 1” gold ball event. That tournament has a very long and descriptive name: “USTA National Women’s 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, & 90 Clay Court Championships.” As the name would suggest, that event is exclusively for the women and the minimum age for participation is 35. On a personal note, I try to play the USTA National Women’s Clay Court Championships every year.
The National Men’s 70 and 75 Indoor Championships
There is a second national level tournament that is located crosstown in Houston. That tournament is the USTA National Men’s 70 and 75 Indoor Championships. Under changes I briefly discussed in “Tennis Tournaments: Deciding to Play a Cat 1,” all the Indoor National Championships have been relegated down to Level 2 tournaments in 2021. As the title of the tournament suggests, that event is for men only and eligibility starts at age 70.
The Westwood Senior Championships
Next in the list is the Westwood Senior Championships. Westwood is the hosting club in Austin, Texas. That tournament has historically been designated as the Texas Senior Sectionals event. Players from outside the section were permitted to play, making Westwood an example of an Open Sectional tournament. In 2021, I am not sure if Westwood will still be considered to be the Senior Sectional Championships, but most likely it is. That should be more clear once the full slate of local tournaments is published for Texas.
I should also note that Westwood has been a Cat 2 tournament historically, and is slotted as a Level 3 event under the new USTA tournament consolidated framework. Westwood offers a broad slate of events for both genders, mixed, and parent-child divisions. Age eligibility starts at 35+. It is a wonderful tournament in a beautiful venue and the competition is great.
Texas Super Senior Sectionals
Texas Super Senior Sectionals is played in San Antonio, Texas. The minimum age for that event is 55. The tournament is for both genders. I have never played it because I am not (quite) 55. Since the tournament is still titled “Sectionals” on the 2021 list published by the USTA, it is probably a pretty good bet that it is indeed still Sectionals. This tournament has dropped from Cat 2 to Level 3 in the new framework transition.
$$$ El Paso Adult and Senior Open
The last tournament in the list starts with a geography lesson from Texas. The El Paso Adult and Senior Open is a Level 3 tournament in 2021. It was designated as a Cat 2 in 2020. Here is the thing: El Paso is not in Texas, at least not the USTA Section that is Texas. El Paso is in the Southwest USTA Section. The reason for this is because El Paso is much closer to Albuquerque and Phoenix than any of the other population centers in Texas.
El Paso is for both genders, and unlike all the other tournaments has no age restrictions that would prevent any player from entering because there is an “Open” division. That Open division also offers prize money.
I have never come close to playing the El Paso tournament, though I have considered it every year. Quite frankly, I review the list of all the National tournaments each year looking for ones that would make sense to enter. El Paso is somewhere between a 9-10 hour drive from my home. It is a desolate drive as well. If I ever play El Paso I will most likely fly. Once a decision is made to fly… then I could reasonably fly to a tournament at some other location other than El Paso.
Personal Playing Decisions
As I map this out on a personal level, I would remind readers that I am a 50+ woman who resides in Texas. I play two of the National level tournaments that are available to me every year. That includes the Gold Ball Level 1 tournament in Houston, which I have to play at 45+. I usually play the (now) Level 3 Westwood Senior Championships at the same age division just to consolidate points. Theoretically I could also play El Paso, but once a plane ticket is involved, I would most likely play an alternate event.
The other exercise I am going through, which will be detailed tomorrow, is what impact the new points schedule may have on participation decisions from the general tournament playing community. I believe that I have stumbled onto parts of the structure that suggest… the new structure might just work as an effective incentive to increase participation at the Sectional level.
- USTA 2021 National Adult Tournament Calendar, USTA website hosted document, date stamped 10/23/2020, viewed 10/30/2020.
- “2021 Adult Tournament Changes: Indoor Level 1 (gold ball) Nationals are Eliminated,” Carolyn Nichols, The Senior Tennis Blog, September 21, 2020.
