All players and families are expected to review these Tournament Regulations carefully before registering.

1. MATCH FORMAT

All matches will follow a Fast 4 format — first to 4 games.

Matches are played as best of 3 sets.

Matches will use No-Ad scoring. At deuce, the receiver will choose the service side, and the next point will decide the game.

At 3–3 in games, a 7-point tiebreak will be played.

If sets are split 1–1, a 10-point match tiebreak will be used in place of the 3rd set.

2. REST PERIODS

A minimum of 30 minutes rest will be provided between matches.

After a player’s second match, rest may be extended up to 45 minutes if needed.

Players may play up to 3 matches per day under normal conditions.

In certain cases, up to 4 matches per day may be scheduled with structured rest.

Final decisions on rest periods are at the Tournament Director’s discretion.

3. OFFICIATING

Matches may be started by tournament officials when available.

Officials may observe initial games before transitioning to roving.

The tournament may operate with roving officials depending on conditions.

All rulings are subject to the authority of tournament officials.

Final decisions are made by the Tournament Director.

4. PRE-QUALIFIER ADVANCEMENT

The winner of each division in the Pre-Qualifying round will advance to the U.S. Finals.

If a player who has already secured a U.S. Finals position participates in a Pre-Qualifying event and wins, the U.S. Finals spot from that event will be awarded to the runner-up.

5. U.S. FINALS DIRECT ENTRY

This section refers only to Direct Entry into the U.S. Finals, not direct entry into the Japan event.

Players with a UTR of 6.0 or higher at the time of registration may be eligible to enter the U.S. Finals directly without participating in a Pre-Qualifier.

U.S. Finals Direct Entry players must participate in the required U.S. Finals matches to earn qualification for the SENKO CUP Championships in Japan.

Players who qualify for the SENKO CUP Championships in Japan through the U.S. Finals, including Direct Entry players, may be eligible for sponsorship support.

6. SENKO CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS IN JAPAN QUALIFICATION

Up to 2 players per division may qualify for the SENKO CUP Championships in Japan.

In general, the winner and runner-up of the U.S. Finals will earn the opportunity to represent Team USA.

If a qualified player declines participation, the opportunity may be offered to the next eligible player based on tournament results and selection criteria.

6.1 U.S. FINALS GROUP FORMAT

If a division has 5 or fewer players, the division will be played as one round-robin group.

The top 2 players will qualify for the SENKO CUP World Junior Tennis Tour Championships in Japan.

If a division has 6 or more players, the division may be divided into two round-robin groups.

Players will be seeded based on their UTR rating, from highest to lowest.

After seeding, players will be numbered in order: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

Players will then be assigned to groups in alternating order.

Example for 8 players:

Group A: Seed 1, 3, 5, 7

Group B: Seed 2, 4, 6, 8

The winner of each group will qualify for the SENKO CUP World Junior Tennis Tour Championships in Japan.

Final format may be adjusted depending on entries, schedule, weather, or operational needs.

7. SENKO CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS IN JAPAN EXTERNAL SPOT

This section refers only to external/open spots for the SENKO CUP Championships in Japan, not U.S. Finals Direct Entry.

A limited number of external spots may be available under separate conditions.

Players entering through this pathway do not go through the U.S. Finals pathway.

Players entering through this pathway are not eligible for sponsorship support.

7.1 Eligibility for External Spot

Players must meet the following conditions:

• UTR 5.0 or higher at the time of registration.

• Must live outside Southern California.

8. ADDITIONAL TEAM USA POSITIONS

Players who do not qualify through the official SENKO CUP USA qualification pathway may be considered for Additional Team USA Positions if space remains available after all qualification, wait list, and selection processes have been completed.

Additional Team USA Positions are limited and are not guaranteed to be offered in any year.

Selection criteria may include, but are not limited to:

• Available space within a division

• Player level and experience

• UTR rating

• Team composition

• Operational considerations

Final selection decisions are at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

8.1 Sponsorship Eligibility

Players accepted through Additional Team USA Positions are not eligible for sponsorship support, financial assistance, travel subsidies, or any future sponsor-funded benefits unless specifically approved by the organizer.

Any sponsorship funds obtained after player selection shall be distributed only among players who qualified through the official SENKO CUP USA qualification pathway, including:

• Pre-Qualifier winners

• U.S. Finals participants

• U.S. Finals Direct Entry participants

• Players selected through the official wait list process

8.2 Participation Fees

Participation fees for Additional Team USA Positions are determined separately from the official qualification pathway and may differ from those applicable to officially qualified players.

9. REALLOCATION OF SPOTS

If a division does not have eligible or confirmed players, available spot(s) may be reallocated to another division based on:

• Final entry numbers

• Competitive balance

• Overall tournament structure

10. SPECIAL CASES

The tournament reserves the right to:

• Adjust draws

• Modify match schedules

• Address player withdrawals

• Adapt to weather or unforeseen circumstances

11. FINAL AUTHORITY

All decisions regarding the following are at the sole discretion of the Tournament Director:

• Player selection

• Advancement

• Spot allocation

• Reallocation

• Rule interpretation

• Exceptional cases

12. ADDITIONAL POLICIES

Detailed participation guidelines, payment terms, and team policies will be provided separately to confirmed players and families.

Participation in the SENKO CUP Championships in Japan is subject to acceptance of all official rules and policies.

13. CANCELLATION AND PLAYER SELECTION POLICY

13.1 If a Pre-Qualification event is canceled due to weather or low entry numbers

Players may re-enter another Pre-Qualification event if space is available on a later date.

If the final scheduled Pre-Qualification event is canceled due to weather or low entry numbers and no further Pre-Qualification events are available, the player with the highest UTR in that same division as of the date of the final Pre-Qualification event will earn the opportunity to enter the U.S. Finals.

This opportunity applies only to the same division in which the player originally entered the Pre-Qualification event.

For example, a player who entered the U14 division may not use this opportunity to enter the U16 division in the U.S. Finals.

13.2 If the U.S. Finals are canceled due to weather

Due to court availability, the U.S. Finals will not be rescheduled to a later date.

In such case, up to two players in each division with the highest UTR as of the date of the U.S. Finals may be granted the opportunity to represent Team USA in Japan.

The term "up to two players" is used because some selected players may decline participation, and available Japan spots may also include external/open spots or Additional Team USA Positions depending on the final event structure.

Final decisions will be made at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

14. REFUND POLICY

14.1 Withdrawal Before Registration Deadline

Players who withdraw before the registration deadline will receive a full refund.

14.2 Withdrawal After Registration Deadline

All registrations become final after the registration deadline.

No refunds, credits, transfers, substitutions, or rollovers will be issued after the registration deadline for any reason.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Injury

• Illness

• Medical conditions

• School activities

• Scheduling conflicts

• Travel issues

• Family emergencies

• Personal reasons

• Change of plans

• Failure to appear

• Any circumstance beyond the player's control

No exceptions will be granted after the registration deadline.

14.3 Event Cancellation by Organizer

Full refunds will be issued only if:

• The event is canceled by the organizer.

• A division is canceled due to insufficient entries and no reasonable alternative option is available.

14.4 Acceptance of Refund Policy

By registering for the tournament, players and families acknowledge and agree to this Refund Policy.

All refund-related decisions are final and made at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

15. DIVISION ADJUSTMENT IN CASE OF LOW ENTRY NUMBERS

If a player's entered division in either a Pre-Qualification event or the U.S. Finals does not have enough players to provide a sufficient number of matches, the division may not necessarily be canceled.

In such cases, the tournament may arrange matches against players from a different division with a similar UTR level.

All such matches will count toward UTR.

These cross-division matches are intended to provide match opportunities, support event operations, and reflect one of SENKO CUP's core concepts: exchange among players through tennis.

Cross-division matches will not affect qualification rights in a different division.

A player may not use these matches to qualify for a different division from the one in which they originally entered.

If a player completes the matches assigned by the tournament, that player may be granted the opportunity to advance to the U.S. Finals regardless of win-loss record, depending on the division format, entry situation, and any unforeseen circumstances.

Final decisions will be made at the discretion of the Tournament Director.

16. ELECTRONIC DEVICE POLICY

Players must remove all prohibited electronic or smart devices before the match begins.

Prohibited devices include, but are not limited to, smartwatches (Apple Watch, Garmin, etc.), smart glasses (Ray-Ban Meta, etc.), wireless earbuds/headsets, mobile phones, communication-enabled fitness trackers, AI-assisted wearable devices, and any other electronic devices capable of communication, recording, filming, AI assistance, or real-time data transmission.

Airplane Mode does not automatically make a device permissible and such devices may still be prohibited.

No penalty will be issued prior to the start of the match if the device is removed upon instruction from the Tournament Director, Referee, or tournament staff.

If a prohibited device is worn, used, or found in the player's possession after the match has started, the player may be immediately defaulted at the discretion of the Tournament Director and/or Referee.