Eight American boys and girls will earn a place in the prestigious Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste in France
Universal Tennis is announcing a partnership with Les Petits As - USA Playoffs Lacoste and its organizer Top Five Management to host the Universal Tennis: Les Petits As - USA Playoffs Lacoste Regional Series starting this September. At the culmination of the Regionals and USA Playoffs Lacoste (hosted by Les Petits As and Top Five Management in October), eight American boys and girls will earn a spot in the Les Petit As - Le Mondial Lacoste, a prestigious 14U world championship held in Tarbes, France in January 18-28, 2024.
January 2024 will mark the 42nd edition of the Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste, a tournament that has been won by the likes of Michael Chang, Rafael Nadal, Frances Tiafoe, Martina Hingis, Kim Clijsters and has witnessed the first steps of champions like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz, Alexander Zverev, Holger Rune, and Coco Gauff.
"We are excited to partner again with Les Petits As - USA Playoffs Lacoste, to support the pathway for Americans to compete in France in one of the most recognized elite junior tennis competitions in the world,” said Mark Leschly, Universal Tennis Chairman & CEO. "Relying on our UTR Rating will ensure American players have every chance possible to qualify for the world championship.”
For Americans, the road to France will begin at the Universal Tennis: Les Petits As - USA Playoffs Lacoste Regional Series. American boys and girls ages 13 and under (born in 2010 or later) will be eligible to enter into Regionals with 32 players selected for each draw. The draw will be round-robin consisting of eight groups of four players each, followed by a single elimination round.
Regionals will be held in September and October, with player selection, seeding, and draw based on UTR Rating, the gold-standard rating system, created by Universal Tennis.
Universal Tennis: Les Petits As - USA Playoffs Lacoste - Regionals will be hosted at:
Rice University (Houston, TX) — Sept 23 - 25
IMG Academy (Bradenton, FL) — Sept 30 - Oct 2
Cal State Fullerton (Fullerton, CA) — Oct 7-9 and Oct 21-23
Old Dominion (Norfolk, VA) — Oct 21 - 23
University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA) — Oct 21 - 23
Registration is open — sign up now.
Winners of each Regional will advance to the Les Petits As - USA Playoffs Lacoste, held Oct. 30-Nov. 3 at Canas Tennis Tropical Park in Coral Gables, Fla. The USA Playoffs will feature 16 players in each boys’ and girls’ draw, with 8 selected by direct acceptance and 8 spots reserved for winners of the Regionals.
The Top 4 boys and girls finishers of the USA Playoffs in Coral Gables will earn a place in the Les Petits As – Le Mondial Lacoste.
About Universal Tennis
The mission of Universal Tennis is to connect and grow the sports of tennis and pickleball with innovative events and a global digital marketplace centered around level-based play. The Universal Tennis Engagement Platform is anchored by the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate singles and doubles tennis rating system. Universal Tennis provides the tools and solutions to make the UTR Rating relevant and valuable to players, coaches, and organizers in their local tennis communities. Universal Tennis is creating opportunities and pathways, including the UTR Pro Tennis Tour, for players from all over the world, in all stages of life, to find better matches and unlock a more fun and flexible tennis experience.New since 2023, Universal Tennis is offering one home for tennis and pickleball, beginning a new chapter by bringing pickleball rating and technology solutions to another racquet sport. Universal Tennis enables its customers to use its UTR Pickleball Rating and event management software to create accessible, competitive level-based events.
About Les Petits As
Les Petits As - USA Playoffs is the international qualifying event for American players only. The best 8 Americans (4 boys and 4 girls) will qualify for the main event, the Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste, next January.Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste is an international tennis tournament considered the world championships for 14 and under players. The 42nd edition of the event will take place from January 18 to 28, 2024 in Tarbes, France. Les Petits As - Le Mondial Lacoste is the world’s biggest tournament for the 14 & under category and is considered as many as the first Slam of their young career.