2015 USTA League Nationals 18 & over 5.0+ Men Preview

USTA Nationals start in just two weeks, on October 2nd, for the 18 & over 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0+ levels.  Here is a preview of the 5.0+ Men flights.

As always, the ratings used in preparing these previews are my Estimated Dynamic NTRP Ratings.  And for the purposes of comparing teams, I'm calculating the average of the top-8 players on each National's roster.

Not every section is sending a 5.0+ team to Nationals meaning there are just 15 teams in 3 flights.  I'm guessing that means there will be a wildcard that makes the semis, so a little extra incentive and a second chance for the teams that lose early.

Unlike the 5.0+ women, there is a team that has an average over 5.0 at 5.04, but the lower end is lower at just 4.58.

Flight 6 has Middle States, Midwest, New England, Northern Cal, and Pacific Northwest with the #1, #3, #10, #12, and #14 teams.  It looks like there is a good chance the wildcard comes from this flight.

Flight 5 with Caribbean, Eastern, Intermountain, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern has the #2, #5, #8, #9, and #15 teams.  This flight probably has the next best chance of having the wildcard.

Flight 4 with Florida, Missouri Valley, Southern Cal, Southwest, and Texas has the #4, #6, #7, #11, and #13 teams.  This flight could be very competitive, perhaps no team goes undefeated.

If you'd like more details on any of the flights, I can generate a flight report for any of the them that will show the average rating for the roster and the top-8 average.

Or if you want to see details about a team including each player's rating and a summary of their record and courts played on the team through each phase of the season, a team report is a great resource for your team or any opponent as a tool to scout them.

Contact me if you are interested in any reports.

Note: As always, average ratings for a team does not win a team match.  Who plays in the match, the line-ups and how they match-up, and how a given player plays on that day are what determine who wins.  So the highest rated teams using top-8 average may or may not win, but it is interesting to look at.