NorCal Adult Tournaments
EXCITING NEWS!
We now have a new USTA NorCal website—visit ustanorcal.com to explore the refreshed site. Most information will move there in the future as we reorganize this site. Feel free to look around, and if you have any questions, reach out to us at marketing@norcal.usta.com. We’d love to hear from you!
Whether you play Singles or Doubles or want to compete locally or nationally, USTA Tournaments are for you.
Adult Tournaments
2025 NorCal Adult Approved Tournament Calendar
Step-by-step Tournament Search Guide
Sign-up here to receive a weekly reminder of upcoming events
USTA Northern California sanctions tournaments at private and public facilities all over the section. A variety of tournament categories are offered. See below to find out more about the different types of tournaments.
All Adult tournaments are assigned a level from 1-7 and players can earn ranking points in each tournament. To learn more about the tournament structure, click here.
To find additional information about rules and regulations of Adult Tournaments, check out the Adult Tournament Resources section below. It will guide you on your Adult Tournament journey.
Ready to get started?
NTRP (National Tennis Rating Program) tournaments offer players the ability to play tournaments at their appropriate NTRP rating level. NTRP tournaments are grouped by level (2.5-5.0) and age (18+, 40+, and 55+) and are offered in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles. These tournaments may take place over 1 to 5 days but most commonly are held Friday through Sunday.
One-Day Tournaments are a great way for league or recreational tennis players to try out tournament competitions. For tennis players who may not have a whole weekend to commit, these one-day events provide all the same excitement but in a shortened format. These tournaments are also a great way to meet and play against different people.
NTRP Ranking Points:
Tournaments with an NTRP Gold Cup Series designation are worth Level 4 ranking points. Players who compete in tournaments with a Tournament of the Year designation will earn Level 5 ranking points.
The top 8 players that earned the most ranking points in the section will compete in a Grand Prix Tournament – the season finale in the NorCal section.
NTRP division tournaments also allow players to work toward advancing to the NTRP National Championships. Players can qualify for the NTRP National Championships via the Grand Prix, the NorCal Qualifier, or the National Standings List. For more details about how to qualify for the NTRP National Championship, click here. For more information about the NTRP National Championship, click here.
Attention NTRP Tournament Players
Any player participating in a USTA NorCal-sanctioned NTRP tournament must have an NTRP rating. If a player is in violation of this rule, he/she will be notified in writing by USTA NorCal.
Any singles, doubles and/or mixed doubles player who has been notified that he/she does not have a valid USTA NTRP rating must SELF-RATE prior to registering in a USTA NorCal NTRP tournament. A player violating this rule or any player playing below their NorCal self-rating level will receive an automatic 30-day suspension and any points earned from that tournament toward the National Standings List and the seeding/tentative/final rankings lists will be removed.
Click here for SELF-RATE instructions
Age Group Tournaments are open to all levels but are broken down by age in five-year increments; for example; 30 through 90. A player is deemed eligible for an age division event if the player will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start. Age Division Tournaments offer players the ability to work toward a national ranking.
There are multiple National Level Tournaments in the Age Group Division. To find a National Tournament click here.
Women’s Intersectional Team Championships:
When: November 11-17, 2024
Where: Frank Veltri Tennis Center; Plantation, FL
Player Selection Criteria (starting 2025)
North vs South Challenge Cup
When: October 13-14, 2024
Where: Barnes Tennis Center; San Diego, CA
Open Division Tournaments are open to all USTA players. Players of all abilities and ages can play in Open events. This category of tournaments is considered the toughest of all adult tournaments, often featuring former and current pros, teaching professionals, former and collegiate players, NTRP players, and top-ranked juniors. The top NorCal Open players are selected into the Grand Prix, which is the culmination of the year.
Click here for a list of Open tournaments in 2024
Family Tournaments include the following divisions: father-son, father-daughter, mother-son, mother–daughter, parent-child, grandparent and grandchild and husband–wife. Please note, a parent and child may enter if they are related by blood, legal adoption, or current step relationship.
A child may play with different parents in different tournaments or different divisions in a tournament. There is also a division with a minimum age restriction for the parent. If the parent and child are related, and the parent will reach the minimum age by December 31 of the year during which the division is scheduled to start.
There are multiple National Level Tournaments in the Family Division. To find a National Tournament click here.
Wheelchair tennis is one of the fastest-growing and most challenging of all wheelchair sports. The Wheelchair Division offers the following divisions:
Men’s, Women’s, and Quad Open; Men’s, Women’s, and Quad-A, Men’s and Women’s B, Men’s C; Junior Open/A (18 & Under); Senior Open/A (40 & Over) Doubles; and Senior B/C (40 & Over) Doubles. Wheelchair Division Tournaments offer players the ability to work towards a national ranking.
To learn more about USTA NorCal wheelchair tennis and the annual North vs South Wheelchair Challenge, click here.
National Tournaments, Pro Circuits and the ITF World Masters Tour occur throughout the year. Learn more below about each.
Adult Tournament Resources
Rules & Regulations
Each year the USTA publishes Friend at Court, a book that includes not only the USTA Regulations but also the ITF Rules of Tennis and "The Code," the players’ guide for matches when officials are not present. It is highly recommended that each player or tennis family have a copy of this publication as a reference. You can purchase the easy-to-carry Friend of Court by calling toll-free, 1.866.898.8061.
USTA Regulations prohibit a player from entering two tournaments that have dates that overlap by one or more days unless a player has the prior written consent of both Tournament Committees.
2024 Friend at Court - Handbook of Tennis Rules and Regulations
USTA Adult & Family Tournament Regulations (2024)
USTA NorCal Adult Tournament Regulations (As of 1/1/2025)
USTA NorCal Adult Tournament Formats & Levels (As of 1/1/2025)
Sportsmanship
The USTA believes strongly in the importance of good sportsmanship in making tennis more enjoyable for all. Players, parents, and coaches alike all share responsibility in ensuring that good sportsmanship is an integral part of the competition - regardless of the level of play.
Players will be held accountable based on the conduct they and their spectators display before, during and/or after a match in any USTA-sanctioned tournament. Additionally, a person who enters a sanctioned tournament or match consents to be penalized under the Point Penalty System for abusive conduct by a person who appears to be associated with the player. Information regarding the suspension point system, which includes a chart of violations and the suspension points associated with each violation can be found in the Friend at Court on pages 113 - 118.
USTA NorCal Sportsmanship Committee Procedures (as of 8/1/2021)
Ranking Lists
National Standings List – Published on Wednesdays
The National Standings List is a weekly standings list of players in each division used, when authorized, for selection and seeding. When it is used for a Closed tournament, it can be filtered to only include residents of a Sectional Association or District Association. Please see the USTA Adult & Family Tournament Regulations (found above under Rules & Regulations) for more information.
Click here to view the National Standings List
Click here to view the 2023 USTA Adult Tennis Tournaments Ranking System
Adult and Family National Rankings – Calculated Yearly
The Adult and Family National Ranking list is published once a year, after the end of the year. The Adult and Family ranking period for all players and teams is January 1 through December 31. Please see the USTA Adult & Family Tournament Regulations (found above under Rules & Regulations) for more information.
Contact Information
Adult Tournaments Specialist
510.263.0443
Related Articles
-
![Visit the New Players & Captains page]()
New Players & CaptainsDecember 17, 2024Gather your friends and come play in a USTA NorCal Adult League this Summer and Fall. USTA NorCal is offering an incentive for new players to come and try an Adult League and for players who are interested in captaining their first team! Read More -
![Visit the USTA NorCal Adult Leagues page]()
USTA NorCal Adult LeaguesDecember 13, 2024The USTA NorCal League program is a great way to stay active, improve your game, be a part of a team and meet other players in your area. From beginner to competitive match-play, USTA NorCal offers a wide variety of league opportunities for adult players of all ages and levels. Read More -
![Visit the Adult League Rules page]()
Adult League RulesDecember 13, 2024Find the tools to help you understand the rules of the different adult programs and resources to help you get started. Read More
Sign up for our Newsletter
Download the USTA App
