HOW IT WORKS
The Ulster Tennis Points Tour (UTP Tour) is the ranking system for junior players in Ulster which has been operating since the start of the 2007-2008 season. The following rules apply to the 2008-2009 season.
ELIGIBILTY
The UTP Tour is only for players who are members of affiliated Ulster Clubs.
ULSTER RANKINGS
Each tournament will receive points towards an Ulster Ranking dependant on the quality of the field. The top 6 scores for each player will count towards an Ulster Ranking.
UTP MASTERS RACE
At the end of the season the top 8 players in each age group will qualify for the UTP Masters tournament which will be held over a weekend. All tournaments will count towards the Masters Race however in order to qualify for the UTP Masters event players must have taken part in at least 1 Ulster tournament.
Points will be awarded for the Masters Event which will be the final ranking event of the season. The points available for the masters will be as follows:
| FINISHING POSITION | Points |
Winner |
1600 |
Runner Up |
1120 |
Semi Finalist |
640 |
| 3rd in Group | 240 |
| 4th in Group | 160 |
(Note: See point 3 under Walkovers and Seeds below)
INTERPROVINCIAL SELECTION
The Under 14 and Under 18 interprovincial teams will consist of the top 4 ranked players in the UTP race at the end of July or at the end of the tournament which has started by then plus 1 wild card selected by the selection committee.
THE POINTS
1. This points score is then added to by the strangth of the draw. This is done by giving the top 12 ranked players in the age group points as follows:
| ULSTER RANKING | Points |
1 or 2 |
3 |
3 - 6 |
2 |
7 - 12 |
1 |
These points are used to calculate the UTP Count for the tournament.
This is then added to the points below depending on the size of the draw to give the UTP Count for the event:
| No Of Entries | Points |
1-8 |
0 |
9-16 |
1 |
17-32 |
2 |
33-64 |
3 |
65-128 |
4 |
Example: A tournament with a draw of 27 players and including the number 1, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 11 Ulster ranked players would have a UTP Count of 13 as follows: the no 1 ranked player is 3 points, no 4 & 5 is 2 points and no 8, 9 & 11 are 1 point each. Therefore UTP Count so far is 3+2+2+1+1+1 = 10. As there are 27 players in the draw there are 2 extra points. This gives an overall UPT Count for this event of 10 + 2 = 12.
3. The points that a player will get from the tournament will depend on where he or she finished in the tournament and on the number of players in the event. Points are awarded as follows:
No. Of Players |
< 4 | 5 - 8 | 9 - 16 | 17 - 32 | 33 - 64 | 65 - 128 | |
| FINISH POSTION |
Winner |
100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 |
Runner up |
70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | 70 | |
Semi Finalist |
2 | 20 | 25 | 40 | 40 | 40 | |
Quarter Finalist |
2 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 25 | ||
Last 16 |
2 | 5 | 10 | 15 | |||
Last 32 |
2 | 5 | 10 | ||||
Last 64 |
2 | 5 | |||||
Last 128 |
2 | ||||||
Please note that it is the number of players in the draw and not the size of the draw.
4. The Ranking points for the event are then decided by multiplying the UTP Count by the finishing position points.
Example: a losing semi finalist in the example about would recieve 40 (Semi finalist points in 17-32 players range) x 12 (UTP Count)= 480 points
5. In order to recieve points you must win a match in the draw. Players who do not win a match will get a nominal 1 point which is then multiplied by the UTP Count. Therefore if the draw has 24 players only players who have won a match to get to the Last 32 will get 2 x UTP Count.
WALKOVERS & SEEDS
1. If you recieve a walk over you will only be awarded points from the position at which you won your last match.
2. If you give a walk over in an event you are unable to compete in any further matches scheduled for that day.
3. Any player giving a walk over or being scratched from a match by the referee during the group stages will be out of the Masters event completely and will not recieve any ranking points for the event. In addition none of the scores from any previous matches will be used. If a player is scratched or gives a walkover after the group stages the rules regarding walkovers above (no 1 & 2) will apply as usual.
4. If you are a seeded player in a rated draw and lose your first match you will receive points as if you had lost in the previous round. This is therefore an exception to Number 5 above.
MISCELLANEOUS
- The top 12 ranking players which is used to calculate the UTP Count will be based on the top 12 from the previous years Ulster Ranking who are still in the age group.
- Players from outside Ulser who compete in Ulster Tournaments will be given a points score for the tournament based on how the UTP Subcommittee think he/she would fare against their respective Ulster peers. This score can go as high as 5 for a player who is significantly better than the Ulster players in that age group.
- Players who play in tournaments outside Ulster can have points awarded for the tournament they play as long as they submit the draw to the UTP subcommittee within 3 days of the tournament finishing. The UTP subcommittee will then award a UTP Count for the tournament based on the perceived level of the event.
- Events which are qualification events for another event can only be scored once for the UTP Ranking system. Therefore during Regional, Provincial and national matchplays only the best score can count towards the UTP Ranking. Example: If a player scores 220 for regional, 420 for provincial and 320 for national matchplays only the best score of 420 will count towards their UTP Ranking.
- Consolation events will not count towards the UTP Race.
- International Junior Events run by Tennis Europe and the International Tennis Federation will get bonus multiplers as follows:
TENNIS EUROPE |
MULTIPLIER |
| Grade 3 Qualifying | 2 |
| Grade 2 Qualifying | 3 |
| Grade 1 Qualifying | 4 |
| Grade 3 Main Draw | 6 |
| Grade 2 Main Draw | 8 |
| Grade 1 Main Draw | 10 |
ITF |
MULTIPLIER |
| Grade 4 & 5 Qualifying | 2 |
| Grade 2 & 3 Qualifying | 3 |
| Grade 1 Qualifying | 4 |
| Grade 4 & 5 Main Draw | 6 |
| Grade 2 & 3 Main Draw | 8 |
| Grade 1 Main Draw | 10 |