USTA cancels junior events through mid-October

Tennis

The United States Tennis Association has canceled all national junior events through Oct. 12 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Other events, including competitive Category 1 tournaments for avid recreational players across the country in various age divisions, have been canceled through the remainder of the year, as well.

The move follows a first wave of cancellations in July. At that time, the USTA canceled the boys’ and girls’ 18-and-under and 16-and-under national championships as well as a select number of adult events, including the National Grass Court Championships. That decision was made after consultations with the USTA Medical Advisory Group, which has also designed the protocols for the three-week, bio-secure bubble in which the Western and Southern Open and US Open will take place in succession starting next week.

“The decision to cancel was made to ensure the health and safety of all those involved as the interstate travel required for these tournaments carries an increased risk,” the USTA said in a statement on Monday. “In addition, the different regulations, restrictions and quarantine periods, dependent upon the localities involved, both at the site of the event and in the participants’ home states were considered.”

The most significant events to fall off the calendar are the boys’ and girls’ 18-and-under nationals, longtime fixtures on the U.S. summer tennis circuit leading to the US Open. The boys’ event has been played in Kalamazoo, Michigan, for 77 years. The girls’ event is played in San Diego, although it has usually been less resonant because so many of the best players are already competing on the pro tour by age 18.

Earlier in the year, the USTA moved the boys’ 18s from Kalamazoo to the USTA National Campus in Orlando, Florida, while the girls’ event remained on the schedule, in San Diego. Both were to be played in the second week of August, but the pandemic made the plan unfeasible.

The USTA said it is working to encourage local play opportunities in the 17 “sections” that comprise the national body. The organization also will enable junior and adult players to earn national rankings points at sections-level events.

The players who have appeared in the boys’ nationals in Kalamazoo comprise a who’s who list of American champions, including Arthur Ashe, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Pete Sampras and Andy Roddick. Girls’ champions in San Diego include Jennifer Capriati, Lindsay Davenport, and more recently, Cici Bellis and Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin.

The winners of the nationals traditionally receive a bonus in addition to their trophies: a wild card into the main draw of the US Open.

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