Universal Tennis announces a Junior National Pathway including eight regional events culminating with a Junior National Championships in 2021 and a major expansion in 2022
(Palo Alto, CA) - Universal Tennis is proud to announce the creation of the Universal Tennis Junior National Pathway consisting of eight regional events for junior players 17U, 15U, and 13U across eight designated regions beginning September 2021.
Winners of the 17U and 15U regional divisions will go on to play in the Junior National Championships and College Showcase to be held in Las Vegas at Darling Tennis Center on December 3-8 during the 36th annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Coaches Convention.
Darling Tennis Center was chosen as it creates the unique opportunity for players to compete in front of the hundreds of college tennis coaches attending the convention.
Players will be accepted based on their UTR Rating and be required to play in their designated regions. The format of the events will be a round-robin followed by a knock-out playoff. This format developed for the UTR Pro Tennis Tour has been extremely successful and highly valued by aspiring professional athletes.
In addition to showcasing their talents in front of college coaches, all regional and national events will be live-streamed. Finally, further demonstrating the commitment to broadening the pathway for elite junior players, the 17U National Championship winners, finalists, and semifinalists with an eligible UTR rating will receive main draw wild cards into 2022 UTR Pro Tennis Tour events.
For more information regarding the Junior National Championships and to register for a Junior Regionals event, click here.
“We are very excited to launch this innovative program,” said Mark Leschly, Chairman and CEO of Universal Tennis. “We repeatedly hear about the need for more opportunities to play high-level tournaments and increase college exposure. The Universal Tennis Junior National Championship Pathway fills the gap in a new and exciting way.”
Universal Tennis plans to expand the program in 2022 with additional regional events where players can qualify for expanded national championships.
####
About Universal Tennis
The mission of Universal Tennis is to connect and grow the sport of tennis through innovative events, a global digital marketplace, and level-based play. This goal is anchored by the UTR Rating, the world’s most accurate 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. Players from all over the world, in all stages of life, can find better matches and unlock a more fun and flexible tennis experience through Universal Tennis. Go to UniversalTennis.com to sign up, activate your player profile and join the global tennis community. Watch our video and connect on social @UniversalTennis.
Media Contacts
Ben Makarenko, bmakarenko@universaltennis.com
Nina Pantic, npantic@universaltennis.com