Six Sectional Championships, Tri-Level Canceled

USTA Southern Board of Directors announced the cancellation of its 2020 USTA Adult League championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic on May 18. The six events were scheduled between late July and early December in six cities.

The 2020 Tri-Level Sectionals has also been canceled. The status of the 55 & Over, 65 & Over Mixed Doubles Championships will be determined by USTA Arkansas.

USTA Southern President & CEO Bonnie Vandegrift said, “It is with a heavy heart that we have had to cancel these important championships. USTA League and Combo Doubles are the backbone of local tennis participation in USTA Southern and throughout the country. The safety of our players is our priority. We are truly disappointed that we cannot stage these tournaments, which allows our players to be physically active and gives our cities significant travel revenue.”

USTA Southern Adult League Committee Chair Helen Martin added, “Our USTA League and other adult players are so passionate about playing. That makes it especially disappointing that we won’t be able to give them the opportunity to compete with other players from our nine states. The good news is that we will be able to focus on supporting local tennis programs.”

USTA Southern Director of Adult Tennis & Human Resources Chris Walling added, “This was not an easy decision and one that was ultimately decided on by what is best for our players. The health and safety of our players was the number one priority. Additionally, one of the many items we looked at was what our players told us. In a recent USTA Southern League survey with over 13,000 responses, an overwhelming majority of our players made it clear that they wanted to focus on local league options and were not comfortable with team events with more than 300 players in attendance.”

To reach a sectional championships in USTA Southern, the first step is to enter a tennis program and start playing. If you're 18 years or older, you can join a league of your peers and the more success you see on the court, the closer you are to reaching a Southern sectional championship. Many leagues play local and state championships leading up to the sectionals.

Click here for website for all championships, except where noted below:

2021

2021 USTA League Adult 18 & Over Southern Sectional Championships

Men's & Women's: 2.5-5.0+
July 23-26
Headquarters: Rome Tennis Center at Berry College
Rome, GA

2021 USTA League Adult 40 & Over Southern Sectional Championships
Men's & Women's: 3.5 & 4.5+; August 6-8
Men's & Women's: 3.0 & 4.0; August 13-15
Headquarters: Yarbrough Tennis Center
Auburn, AL

2021 USTA Southern Mixed Doubles Sectional Championships
18 & Over, 40 & Over: 2.5; 6.0-10.0 combined
Dates: October 8-10 (3-day event)
Location: Lexington, KY