Times of Play: Thursday (6pm-11pm), Friday (6pm-11pm), Saturday (8am-10pm), Sunday (8am-7pm).   Play will begin on Thursday evening only in case of extremely large draw sizes.  Most divisions will begin on Friday evening or Saturday morning.

Draws/Match Times:  Draws and match times will be released on the internet no later than 6pm on Tuesday, March 17th. 

Tournament Contact:  Alex Seaton
Phone: 612-626-2534
Email: seat0014@umn.edu

Location: Baseline Tennis Center-University of Minnesota (click here for map)
1815 4th Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455

Divisions: Men’s Doubles, Women’s Doubles, and Mixed Doubles are offered in all divisions below.  Players are limited to 2 events (one men’s or women’s and one mixed)

• Combined NTRP 6.0 and below 
• Combined NTRP 7.0 and below
• Combined NTRP 8.0 and below
• Open Division

Important:  In accordance with USTA rules, there can be no more than 1 point of NTRP rating separating doubles partners (i.e. a 3.0 player may enter the 7.0 doubles with a 4.0 player but not the 8.0 doubles with a 5.0 partner).

NTRP guidelines can be found here.

Registration: There is no online registration for this event.  Team captains must complete the registration form in its entirety and email to seat0014@umn.edu .   Registration spreadsheets can be downloaded at baselinetenniscenter.com .  Credit card information may be phoned in or supplied on the spreadsheet.  Checks may be made out to the University of Minnesota and mailed to (please note the company name on your check):
  
University of Minnesota
Attn: John Pratt
 Room 137 Mariucci Arena
 1901 4th Street SE
 Minneapolis, MN 55455
  
Entry Deadline: All registrations and entry fees must be received no later than Friday, March 13th 2009 at 6:00 PM.

Entry Fees: $35/player for 1 event, $50/player for 2 events

Format: Company-based team competition. Eligible team members are employees, retired employees, and/or spouses (spouses must play together).  Each corporate team is limited to 2 doubles teams per event division (i.e. 2 men’s 7.0 doubles teams, 2 mixed 6.0 teams, etc.) with a maximum of 24 doubles teams per corporate team.  Corporations with more than 24 teams or those wishing to enter more than 2 teams per event may enter a second team (i.e. Joe’s Plumbing Red, Joe’s Plumbing Blue, etc.)  Those wishing to do so must fill out a separate entry form and roster for each team.  This format will allow for as much participation as possible while leveling the playing field for smaller companies.

Requirements: Each doubles team must be employed by the same organization at least 20 hours per week (exception made for spouses). Each player must be 19 years of age. Individuals are encouraged, but not required, to be USTA members. Companies are encouraged, but not required, to become organizational members of the USTA.

Match Format:  All main draw matches will be 2 out of 3 sets with a super tie-break (first to 10 points) in lieu of a full third set.  All consolation matches will be 8-game pro-sets with a tiebreak at 8-8.  Tournament staff reserves the right to change the format in case of time constraints.

Awards: Awards will be given to the winners, finalists, and consolation champions in each event. The organization accumulating the most points from each of the three divisions will receive the Corporate Tennis Challenge trophy to display at their company for 1 year.   The point system for the team competition will be released to team captains prior to the start of the tournament.

T-Shirts: Event t-shirts will be provided to all participants.

Hospitality: Water and light snacks will be provided to all players throughout the tournament.

Gopher Matches:  The tournament will be played in conjunction with 2 Minnesota Men’s Tennis Big Ten match ups.   The Gophers play host to #18 Michigan at 12pm Saturday and Michigan State at 12pm Sunday.   Don’t miss the opportunity to see some of the best players in the country.  Admission is free and the level of play is amazing!

Questions?:  Please contact Alex Seaton at 612-626-2534 or seat0014@umn.edu

Thanks and we look forward to seeing you at the Corporate Challenge!