Click
here and enter Tournament ID #257200001 to register for the Intermountain US Open National Playoffs Sectional Qualifying Tournament to be held on June 8-12, 2011 at Gates Tennis Center in Denver, Colorado. Players age 14 and older can register for singles competition and/or mixed doubles, which was added to the US Open National Playoffs this year. Registration closes on May 27, 2011 at 11:59pm MST.
The entry fee for each of the sectional qualifying tournaments is $125 for singles and $150 for each mixed doubles team ($75 per player). All players competing must have a current USTA membership valid through August 29, 2011.
The US Open National Playoffs returns for a second year as a series of sectional qualifying tournaments, held in 16 USTA Sections throughout the country, culminating with the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s, Women’s and Mixed Doubles Championships held during the New Haven Open at Yale, an Olympus US Open Series women’s event, in August. The US Open National Playoffs mixed doubles champions will receive a main draw wild card into the 2011 US Open. The US Open National Playoffs men’s and women’s singles champions again earn a wild card into the US Open Qualifying Tournament, held the week prior to the US Open.
“The US Open National Playoffs provides a unique opportunity for tennis players to get closer to the US Open,” said Jon Vegosen, USTA Chairman of the Board and President. “Now in its second year, we expect to attract some of the top talent, including junior players, from communities across the country to compete for this one-of-a-kind experience.”
“By expanding the US Open National Playoffs to include mixed doubles for the first time, the USTA is offering even more players an opportunity to fulfill their dreams of competing in the US Open,” said Jim Curley, Chief Professional Tournaments Officer & US Open Tournament Director. “Building on last year’s success, we are expecting an even deeper talent pool to compete for a shot at history.”
A player may only enter and compete in one sectional qualifying tournament during a calendar year; players competing in men’s singles or women’s singles and mixed doubles may opt to compete at different sectional qualifying tournaments (one for singles and one for mixed doubles). The draw size at each sectional qualifying tournament will be a maximum of 256 for each singles event and a maximum of 128 teams for mixed doubles. Participants can be of any playing level, from aspiring novice to seasoned professional, giving everyone an equal opportunity to advance.
The 16 men’s, women’s and mixed doubles champions from each sectional qualifying tournament will advance to the US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Singles, Women’s Singles and Mixed Doubles Championship. All three tournaments will be held in conjunction with the New Haven Open at Yale, an Olympus US Open Series event. The US Open National Playoffs – Men’s Singles and Women’s Singles Championship will be held August 18-21. The US Open National Playoffs – Mixed Doubles Championship will be held August 24-27.
Last year, the USTA created the US Open National Playoffs to expand the footprint of the US Open by providing the opportunity for all players 14 years of age and older to earn a berth into the US Open.
In all, 1,232 players (859 men, 373 women) competed in the inaugural edition of the 2010 US Open National Playoffs, ranging from experienced professionals (including two-time ATP singles champion Jeff Tarango and Russian Alina Jidkova, who reached a career-high No. 51 in 2005) to recreational players of all talents and walks of life (including Olympic skier Bode Miller, former Major League Baseball player Todd Walker and Rabbi Gregg Ackerman of Long Island, N.Y.).
The US Open Qualifying Tournament will be held August 23-26 and the US Open Mixed Doubles Championship begins August 31 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. The 2011 US Open begins on August 29.
If you have any questions, please email the Tournament Director,
Tiffany Milner.