E-mail: sumtertennis@aol.com

Adults

Adult Tennis

 

 

 

Tournaments and Leagues

 

 

             The Sumter Tennis Association is sponsoring two adult tennis tournaments in 2009. The first event is The Winter Chill Challenge sponsored by Chick-fil-A. This is the first tournament of 2009 in South Carolina and it is sanctioned United States Tennis Association (USTA) South Carolina. The tournament is played at Sumter’s award-winning facility, the Palmetto Tennis Center. The Winter Chill Challenge is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 16 through Sunday, Jan. 18. You can read more about the tournament by clicking here: Chick-fil-A Winter Chill Challenge

 

 

             The Winter Chill Challenge will begin play Saturday, Jan. 17 at 10:00 am. We

have 103 players entered in the tournament and are looking forward to some good

competition. Chick-fil-A will be onsite that morning to serve breakfast to all tournament

entrants beginning at 9:00 am. The Chick-fil-A cow will also be at the tournament

during play. We want to say a BIG Thank You to our local Chick-fil-A for their

wonderful support. If you’re not playing come out and watch the matches and have fun.

If you are playing get your family to come out and support you. Don’t let the cold keep

you away, we have areas to warm up in and you can always bring blankets.

             Our second tournament is the Palmetto Adult Classic. This Tournament

replaced the Gamecock City Classic which had to be cancelled in 2008 to accommodate

 the Pro tournament hosted by the city. This is a summer tournament scheduled for

Friday, June 26, through Sunday, June 28. This is a USTA South Carolina sanctioned

tournament. Players can submit their entries beginning Friday, June 12, 2009.

Entries and fees must be submitted by Sunday, June 21, 2009 11:59:00 PM Eastern

Time. The Tournament ID is 704123309.

            

 

 

Adult Team Leagues

 

 

             Sumter area adult tennis players participate in USTA-sanctioned team tennis leagues throughout the year.  While Sumter’s teams participate under the Pee Dee League located in Florence, Sumter’s teams play their home matches at Sumter’s own Palmetto Tennis Center.  Away matches are played at the opposing team’s facilities, normally located in Florence, Hartsville or Darlington.

 

             Teams in the spring leagues consist of single gender players with the same National Tennis Rating Program (NTRP) rating (e.g., 3.0 men’s team, 3.0 women’s team).  Teams are divided into adult, senior (ages 50 and older) and super senior (ages 60 and older) players.  Teams competing during the summer leagues are mixed doubles (i.e., one male player and one female player), both having the same NTRP rating.  Teams in the fall league consist of single gender doubles teams with one player having a certain NTRP level and with the second player having a one-half point lower level (e.g., one player is rated at 4.0 and the other at 3.5 for a combination of 7.5).  Teams winning their leagues travel to state level tournaments at the end of each season.

 

             NTRP requires players who have not participated previously in USTA- sanctioned matches to self-rate their playing abilities according to NTRP guidelines.  Under the self-rating requirements in USTA’s Friend at Court, a player is required “to select the level of play that the player believes best describes the player’s ability.”  Sanctions are imposed to prevent unrealistically low self-rating.  After a player competes in two or more matches, USTA’s computer generates a rating for the player.

 

            

 

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Local Play

 

 

 

Most tennis players in Sumter play locally at Sumter’s Palmetto Tennis Center throughout the year. Most are eager to compete and to play, whether or not they also participate in league play or tournaments in Sumter or other locations. The staff at the Palmetto Tennis Center at        774-3969 can offer suggestions for those who are new to the area or to those who are visiting concerning available opportunities, clinics and individual instruction.

 

If nothing else, players can come out to Palmetto Tennis Center and look around. It’s not unusual to find a few players sitting around waiting for a pickup game. One can probably find a doubles match too!

                                                                

Another option for those whose schedules don’t allow them to participate in a regular league is the Flex League program. Check out the Flex Yourself link on the links page for more information