News & Features

by TennisRecruiting.net, 3 June 2015

New Balance and the USTA have announced the 2015 edition of the New Balance High School Tennis Championship July 20-23, 2015 at Harvard University in Boston, Massachusetts, now in its second year. The registration deadline is June 18th.

Boys' and girls' singles events will unfold in a 64-player compass draw format, giving players the opportunity to play many matches, and giving spectators the chance to witness exciting, level-based competition. Winners of the New Balance High School Tennis Championship will be awarded wildcard spots in an International Tennis Federation (ITF) junior event held in the U.S. prior to the 2015 US Open Junior Championships.

We got the chance to chat with Sports Marketing Manager for Tennis at New Balance, about the event: who can compete in it, what perks are in store for those who attend, all the happenings around it, and more...

Questions and Answers

Tennis Recruiting (TR): Congratulations on last year's successful launch of the New Balance High School Tennis Championships. What is the event's background and goals for this second year?

Evan Zeder (EZ): The goal was and is to create an event that speaks specifically to High School tennis players, and allow them to have the feeling of playing in a professional event while also enjoying the off court experiences we have put together. A second year event, The NBHSTC is a national level tournament that attracts the best interscholastic tennis players around the country to compete at Harvard University from July 20-23. The champion for both the boys' and girls' tournaments will receive wildcard spots into an International Tennis Federation (ITF) event held prior to the 2015 US Open Junior Championships (the Prince George's County International Hard Court Junior Tennis Championship in College Park, MD). The goals for year two are to improve on a successful year one, with great off court experiences as well as on site improvements for everyone involved. All of the work we have put in is meant to create a uniquely customized experience for the athletes competing.

TR: How many players will participate, and how many matches are guaranteed?

EZ: The draw sizes will feature 64 boys and 64 girls from across the country. It will be non-elimination, compass draw format which will allow each player to compete in a minimum of four matches. Also ideally, players can plan their travel around a definitive start and end time - which is not always the case for junior tournaments! Again, we want this to be as player/parent friendly as possible when it comes to matches and accommodations.

TR: What are the eligibility guidelines and how does the selection process work?

EZ: The event is open to any tennis player who has participated on their respective varsity high school team during the 2014-15 academic year. The selection criteria will be primarily based on the entrants' player rating as determined by the Universal Tennis Rating system. Geographic distribution will also be considered at the discretion of the NBHSTC tournament committee.

TR: The Universal Tennis Ratings (UTR) system is fairly new to many, yet already increasing in popularity. Why did you choose UTR?

EZ: The way high school tennis is structured from state to state varies widely. UTR provides one of the only platforms for players of all ages, and we did not want to offer a typical age-group tournament as HS players have varying ages. The USTA's National Standings Lists - which ranks by age - or Tennis Recruiting's Class Rankings - which ranks by graduation year - would not be effective ways to determine entries when ages and classes vary so widely.

TR: The winners of the tournament earn wildcards into an ITF event later in the summer. Why did you include this big incentive?

EZ: A lot of players don't get the opportunity to compete in ITF tournaments, and we want to reward the efforts of our High School Champions by providing them the opportunity to compete at an international level. One boy and one girl will receive a wildcard into the Prince George's County International Hard Court Junior Tennis Championship that take place August 24-30, 2015 in College Park, MD. The International Hard Courts is an exclusive international event that is a warm-up tournament for the 2015 US Open Junior Championships.

TR: How did last year's champions do after the tournament in regards to the International Hard Court Championships and being recruited to a college?

EZ: Our 2014 boy's champion, Matt Kuhar competed in his first international junior tournament due to our wildcard opportunity, upsetting two players to reach the round of 16 in the singles draw. He recently completed his freshman year at Bryant University where he played #1 in both singles and doubles.

Our girl's champion Madison Clarke, who is currently a five-star recruit, recently signed a letter of intent to play for Santa Clara University. Since last year's event, she has continued to compete successfully in tournaments within the USTA Southwest section and on the national junior schedule.

TR: The schedule includes a lot of fun, off-court activities and perks. What are some of the highlights?

EZ: We have put a lot of work and are very excited about the social activities we have planned for the players throughout the tournament week. At Sunday's registration, we will bring in our footwear team to fit the athletes with the appropriate New Balance shoes based on their playing style. We will make sure that all the players receive a really generous gift bag filled with shoes, apparel and travel items! On Tuesday night there will be a pizza party for the players on site, and then they will have opportunity to experience the very entertaining Blue Man Group show at the Charles Playhouse Theater. The following night they will experience something unique to Boston by exploring Fenway Park! This tournament is all about the players, and we want them to see some of the great things NB and Boston have to offer.

In addition to this some of our tournament perks include college coaches recruiting on site, free transportation from our host hotel to and from the site, lunches at Harvard for three days and two dinners, and we have secured an incredible room rate deal at the Hyatt Regency overlooking Boston that includes breakfast for all athletes at our host hotel.

TR: In addition to this national tournament, New Balance has been making a big effort to promote high school tennis. Could you describe your efforts?

EZ: High School Tennis can sometimes be forgotten with all of the different tournaments offered every weekend, so we are proud to recognize the efforts and commitment that young tennis athletes show toward the game. Through this event and our ongoing outreach programs and services for individual players and coaches, our intent is to build relationships with high school state athletic associations to foster participation among high school players. This year, we have expanded our relationships with State Associations - and that number will continue to grow in the future.

TR: Do you have any final comments on the event?

EZ: We hope to continue to raise a high standard during this tournament. Last year we had an impressive 33 states represented and already have exceeded that number in our entry list, and we have a goal to increase that number even more this year! We invite all the top high school players in the country to enter. I can promise that every player who is selected into the event will have an incredible and memorable experience!

Click here to visit the homepage for the New Balance High School Tennis Championship, or click here to register for the event.

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