I've posted the full schedule by division and date before, but as usually 18 & over gets started first with several levels being played the first weekend of October. The 40 & over division gets started right away too though as the following weekend there is one level of 40 & over and another 18 & over level.
And since we are close to the events now, the match schedules for each championship have started to be posted, half of the events have them. Here is a chronological list of the events with a link to the flight make-up and schedules. I will update this table as the remaining match schedules become available.
| Date | Championship | Location | Match Schedule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct. 6-8 | 18 & over 3.5 | Surprise, AZ | |
| Oct. 6-8 | 18 & over 5.0+ | Orlando, FL | PDF (coming soon) |
| Oct. 13-15 | 18 & over 4.0 | Surprise, AZ | |
| Oct. 13-15 | 40 & over 3.0 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL (clay) | PDF men 15 teams |
| Oct. 20-22 | 18 & over 2.5 women | Mobile, AL | PDF 15 teams |
| Oct. 20-22 | 18 & over 3.0 | Surprise, AZ | PDF men 16 teams |
| Oct. 20-22 | 40 & over 4.0 | Orlando, FL | |
| Oct. 20-22 | 40 & over 4.5+ | Mobile, AL | |
| Oct. 27-29 | 40 & over 3.5 | Ft. Lauderdale, FL (clay) | |
| Oct. 27-29 | 55 & over 6.0/8.0 | Orlando, FL (clay) | PDF (coming soon) |
| Nov. 3-5 | Mixed 18 & over 6.0/7.0/8.0/9.0/10.0 | Mobile, AL | PDF (coming soon) |
| Nov. 10-12 | 18 & over 4.5 | Orlando, FL | PDF women 15, men 16 |
| Nov. 10-12 | Mixed 40 & over 6.0/7.0/8.0/9.0 | Mobile, AL | PDF (coming soon) |
| Nov. 17-19 | 55 & over 7.0/9.0 | Orlando, FL (clay) | PDF (coming soon) |
You can also see the USTA's summary page that also includes links to registration, the tournament handbook, and more here.
Note that there are 17 sections that can send teams which results in four flights, three with four teams and one with five teams. I've noted above some flights that have fewer teams. If there are 16 teams this becomes four flights of four teams each, and if it drops to 15 teams it is three flights with five teams each and then there is a wildcard that makes semis.
You will notice four of the events and all of the 55 & over will be played on clay. This is a change from recent years where all matches were played on hard courts. It will be interesting to see how the change plays out as the majority of local league play in most sections is on hard courts.
There is also a definite trend away from the desert Southwest and towards the Southeast with the majority of events being held in Florida and Alabama. This location change may affect which sections tend to dominate at Nationals.
Now that we are getting flight make-up and match schedules, teams headed to Nationals are starting to plan, prepare, and scout. Should you be fortunate to be headed to Nationals and have aspirations of doing well, or even if you just want to give your team the best chance of winning, my flight and team reports are a great way to do some scouting and preparation.
I've had the pleasure of doing reports for many teams playing in playoffs and advancing to Nationals the past five years, even quite a few teams winning Nationals, and have gotten fantastic feedback on how the reports helped captains prepare and know what to expect and put their players in the best position to win and advance, including quite a bit of success this year already.
Should you be headed to Nationals and be interested in getting the best information available to plan your line-ups, contact me for more information.
Updated 19-Sep-2017: Added/updated PDF links and noted where there are fewer than the normal 17 teams
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