Net Generation - USTA Southern California

Net Generation

NET GENERATION

JUNIOR TENNIS  |  USTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

NET GENERATION

JUNIOR TENNIS
USTA SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

QUICK LINKS

WELCOME TO TENNIS  |  JUNIOR PATHWAY
JUNIOR CIRCUIT  |  EARLY DEVELOPMENT CAMPS

QUICK LINKS

WELCOME TO TENNIS
JUNIOR PATHWAY
JUNIOR CIRCUIT
EARLY DEVELOPMENT CAMPS

FIRST SERVE.

Tennis is a powerful youth sport. According to a recent study, youth who play tennis get better grades, have college aspirations, are better behaved, are community-minded, and are more prone to healthy behaviors.

Tennis helps strengthen executive function, focus, and related skills, all of which translate directly to success off the courts.

Net Generation

WELCOME TO TENNIS

Net Generation is the USTA youth platform that promotes early entry into the sport of tennis. Easy to learn and tailored for all ages and abilities, tennis offers kids a game that will help them stay active, build friendships, and develop life skills in a positive environment.

Through Net Generation initiatives based on the American Development Model (ADM), parents and their young players can track their development across three main stages of growth – introductory Team Challenges, intermediate Junior Team Tennis, and Junior Circuit tournament play.

Most importantly, Net Generation brings players to the court, providing countless opportunities to learn, grow, and excel not just in tennis, but in everyday life. With a full slate of unique and innovative activities, there’s never been a better time to join the Net Generation.

– LEARN MORE ABOUT NET GENERATION AT NETGENERATION.COM

Parent Webinars
Parent Webinars

NET GEN JUNIOR PATHWAY

For players who are just starting in the game to those competing at the highest levels, USTA Southern California and our dedicated providers offer a pathway of opportunities to help young players succeed and grow in the game.

Through the USTA American Development Model (ADM) framework, players can learn to compete at their own age level and ability. All of these programs offer different levels, formats, and schedules to accommodate growth and development of junior players. 

Tennis development begins with a program often referred to as Red/Orange/Green (R/O/G). R/O/G uses low-compression balls, smaller racquets and smaller courts that allow the beginning player to be successful right away on the court and to develop the best habits for the game long-term. 

Age Divisions

– Players aged 5-7 years old are recommended to play in red ball programs.
– Players aged 7-9 years old are recommended to play in orange ball programs.
– Players aged 9-11 years old are recommended to play in green ball programs.

Note that 10U players can participate in the following USTA programs:

– Team Challenges (R/O/G)
– Junior Team Tennis (O/G)
– Junior Circuit Round Robin Events (O/G)

Once a player has completed the Net Generation PlayTracker journey to yellow ball (or the player ages up to 12 years old), he/she may advance to USTA Southern California sanctioned tournaments and accrue a ranking.

The Net Generation PlayTracker is for players aged 5-11 and their parents to track progress at USTA competitive events, all in one place. Using the USTA’s American Development Model (ADM) framework, players and parents will learn more about the recommended development pathway while earning digital accolades for their achievements along their tennis journey.

Benefits of Play Tracker

The new Net Generation PlayTracker will help parents and players navigate their development progress, replacing the previous stars and trophies system.

Benefits of this new system include:

– More control and flexibility for parents and coaches.
– More USTA program options, designed to suit players’ age and skill level.
– Clean and focused profiles to visualize a player’s journey.
– Earned advancement.
– More consistency no matter where a player lives, allowing players to travel or move to a new section with ease.
– Players can earn points for both playing and winning, collecting points in PlayTracker after participating in USTA Team Challenges, USTA Junior Team Tennis, and USTA Junior Circuit programs.

Junior Tennis
Junior Tennis

STEP 1  |  TEAM CHALLENGE

A fun and social introduction to tennis that allows players to learn the game within their age group and skill level, USTA Team Challenge programs are single or multi-day events with short sessions focused on play and skill development, rather than competition. 

USTA Team Challenge is a low-pressure team environment for children of all ages to develop their skills through level-based play, without an emphasis on instruction or results. This experience is for red, orange, and green ball players. Participants are expected to at least drop hit serve from the service line over the net or sustain a modified rally (rolling, trapping, bumping, or hitting).

Find a Team Challenge event near you by using the USTA.com search engine. Click the filter “Team Challenge” to narrow your results. 

– SEARCH FOR TEAM CHALLENGE EVENTS ON USTA.COM

STEP 2  |  JUNIOR TEAM TENNIS

Who says tennis isn’t a team sport? It sure is! Youngsters compete on co-ed teams in Junior Team Tennis, playing singles, doubles, and mixed doubles matches with other JTT squads.

Seasonal sessions over one to two months focus on developing individual skills along with the team concept. A great way to learn the game (red/orange/green ball play) and make a lot of new friends in the process!

– LEARN MORE ABOUT JUNIOR TEAM TENNIS

Junior Team Tennis
Junior Tennis

STEP 3  |  JUNIOR CIRCUIT

For players looking to get started with individual match play, the USTA recommends starting in the USTA Junior Circuit events. These are non-ranking events that allow players to gain match experience in a tournament setting while still focusing on having fun.

No USTA ranking points are awarded at Junior Circuit events, but PlayTracker points are earned for players ages 10 & under. Events are one-day and last two to four hours, with non-elimination round robin play. They’re open to all players ages 7-18 who are able to serve, maintain a rally, and keep score.

Once players achieve success at a USTA Junior Circuit, the USTA recommends Level 7 USTA Junior Tournaments in order to start earning national ranking points.

– SEARCH FOR JUNIOR CIRCUIT EVENTS ON USTA.COM

The 2023 Green Ball Grand Prix Circuit is designed for 10U players.

Top 10U Grand Prix point earners from the Green Ball Grand Prix will be invited to participate in an end of the season Early Development Camp.

All players will be on the USTA Net Generation Junior Pathway advancing to yellow ball, and all will receive Net Generation PlayTracker points.

GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT SEASON

The Winter/Spring Grand Prix season will run from January 21 to June with the end of the season camp held on July 15-16, 2023 at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

The last Grand Prix Tournament date that will count towards the points race for the 10U Early Development Camp will be June 4th. Invites will go out by June 16, 2023.

The Summer/Fall Grand Prix season will run from June 10 to November with the end of the season camp held on December 2-3, 2023.

Summer/Fall season will begin on June 11th. The last Grand Prix Tournament date that will count towards the points race for the 10U Early Education Camp will be November 5. Invites to go out by November 10th, 2023.

SELECTION FOR 10U GREEN BALL DEVELOPMENT CAMP

Players will be invited by their point standing in the Grand Prix race. Twelve girls and twelve boys will be invited to each Early Development Camp. No wildcards will be awarded to players for selection into this camp. This two-day camp will include an introduction to the training curriculums and the second portion focuses on match play.

If there is a tie in the standings, it will be broken by World Tennis Number.

Boys’ Standings – Top 25
Last Updated: September 27, 2023

1.Micah Chang232
2.Matthew Johnson224
3.Airen Lai216
4.Carter Johnson216
5.Bradley Zhao208
6.Pierson Ross200
7.Rolando Aramburo Gosset184
8.Ryan Hoang184
9.Jeremiah Cheng184
10.David Melkonyan176
11.Novak Wei160
12.Vivaan Gowda160
13.Haujun Yue152
14.Tudor Tepelus136
15.Jeremy Li136
16.Noah Ryan136
17.Daniel Marangozyan128
18.James Ton128
19.Trenton Su128
20.Pierse Salimpour120
21.Lucas Liu120
22.Ruben Martirosyan112
23.Bruce Mcevoy112
24.Dorian Zeldin112
25.Brandon Chen112


Girls’ Standings – Top 25
Last Updated: September 27, 2023

1.Carlota Tarazaga Diaz304
2.Amber Simpson208
3.Leah Johnson200
4.Huining Zhang160
5.Auristella Carlisle152
6.Maile Chun136
7.Marina Martirosyan136
8.Paris Quynh128
9.Summer Wang128
10.Rachel Yang120
11.Sophia Ghaznavi112
12.Madison Kang112
13.Grace Chen96
14.Safi Mkrtchyan96
15.Akshita Iyer88
16.Freya Hayes88
17.Raahi Kulkarni88
18.Anna Mushyan88
19.Aeris Cheng80
20.Irina Stoilov80
21.Valeria Khoury80
22.Summerlyn Jackson72
23.Scarlett Lei72
24.Lyara Le72
25.Katherine Ma64

Upcoming 10U Green Ball events include:
September 23 – Santa Ana
September 24 – Tarzana
September 24 – San Diego
September 24 – Irvine
September 30 – Fountain Valley
September 30 – Burbank

In 2023, USTA Southern California will pilot the 10U Yellow Ball Grand Prix Junior Circuit as a supplemental pathway for 10U players who have met the required play tracker points to advance to yellow ball play. 10U players now have the option of playing within their age group using yellow balls before they advance to 12U yellow ball events.

10U Yellow Ball Junior Circuit competitors will accumulate Grand Prix points. 10U Yellow Ball competitors do not collect Net Generation Play Tracker Points or National ranking points.

The top 10 & Under Grand Prix point earners from the Yellow Ball Grand Prix will be invited to participate in an end of the season Early Development Camp.

10U Yellow Ball Grand Prix Circuit points will be displayed on the Match Tennis App. Match Tennis App will publish the Grand Prix standings bi-weekly.

In order to play in the Yellow Ball Junior Circuit, a player must have met the required 1500 PlayTracker points from playing 10U Green Ball Tournaments. At least 1000 of those points must come from win points.

GRAND PRIX CIRCUIT SEASON

The Yellow Ball Grand Prix Winter/ Spring season will run from January 29 to June 4. The end of the season camp will be held on June 24-25, 2023 at the Costa Mesa Tennis Center.

The last Grand Prix Tournament date that will count towards the points race for the 10U Early Development Camp will be June 4th. Invites to go out by June 8, 2023.

The Summer/Fall Grand Prix season will run from June 18 to November, with the end of the season camp held on December 2-3, 2023.

Summer/Fall season will begin on June 18th. The last Grand Prix Tournament date that will count towards the points race for the 10U Early Education Camp will be November 5. Invites to go out by November 10th, 2023.

SELECTION FOR 10U YELLOW BALL DEVELOPMENT CAMP

Players will be invited by their point standing in the Grand Prix race. Eight girls and eight boys will be invited to each Early Development Camp. No wildcards will be awarded to players for selection into this camp. This two-day camp will include an introduction to the training curriculums and the second portion focuses on match play.

If there is a tie in the standings, it will be broken by World Tennis Number.

Boys’ Standings – Top 10
Last Updated: September 27, 2023

1.Ethan Chan72
2.David Melkonyan48
3.Joshua Lee32
4.Kade Grover32
5.Micah Chang32
6.Yahia Kheiwa32
7.Dylan Liu32
8.Jayden Jung24
9.Jaden Joyner24
10.Hunter Hsu24


Girls’ Standings – Top 10
Last Updated: September 27, 2023

1.Aleksandra Abaunza-shen24
2.Julie Lai24
3.Julia Russell24
4.Sofia Pizarro24
5.Marina Martirosyan8
   
   
   
   
   

Upcoming 10U Yellow Ball events include:
September 30 – Burbank

October 21 – Santa Monica
October 22 – Irvine
October 28 – Calabasas

Orange ball events count towards the Net Generation Play Tracker.

Upcoming 10U Orange Ball events include:

September 2 – Fountain Valley
September 3 – Woodland Hills
September 4 – Fountain Valley
September 4 – Irvine
September 9 – Burbank
September 9 – Westminster
September 10 – Laguna Beach
September 10 – Glendale
September 16 – Long Beach
September 16 – Calabasas
September 16 – Seal Beach
September 17 – Calabasas
September 23 – Tarzana
September 23 – Santa Ana
September 24 – San Diego
September 30 – Fountain Valley
September 30 – Burbank

EARLY DEVELOPMENT CAMPS

USTA Southern California Early Development Camps are the first step in the USTA Player Development Pathway. Our goal is to bring together 10 & Under players across SoCal, who currently compete in Junior Circuit tournaments in order to practice and play together.

Early Development Camps are developed and designed by the USTA High Performance Player Development and utilize local USTA trained coaches. This two-day camp emphasizes fundamentals and overall athletic development in a fun, educational environment while giving players an opportunity to earn PlayTracker points through match play. Players with excellent work ethic, commitment, talent, and attitude are encouraged to participate.

The next Early Development Camp will take place October 14-15 at The Claremont Club. Click here for more information.

Campers are required to attend both days, which includes a USTA Sanctioned Tournament on the final day where players can earn PlayTracker points.

Orange Ball – Must be 7-10 years old.

Green Ball – Must be 7-10 years old. Players 7 and 8 years old that reach 1,000 play points in orange ball are eligible for green ball.

Orange ball competencies expected for attendance:

– Are able to sustain a 20-ball rally with coach at slow pace.
– Are able to sustain a 10-ball rally with player of similar level.
– Are working on forehand and backhand slice with continental grip.
– Have started using continental grip on volleys, overheads and serves.
– Have started working on closed, open and semi-open stances to maintain contact points between hip and shoulder.

Green ball competencies expected for attendance:

– Are able to sustain a 20 ball rally with coach at medium pace
– Are able to sustain a 10-ball rally with player of similar level at medium pace with contact points between hip and shoulder.
– Are able to sustain a rally using slice off of both sides with the continental grip.
– Using continental grip on volley, overheads and serves.
– Have a fundamental understanding of footwork patterns for closed, open and semi-open stances and when to use them.

Each camp includes:

– Camp Shirt
– Athletic/Technical Skills
– Teachable Moments
– Parent Information
– Orange Ball/Green Ball Junior Circuit Tournament

Early Development Camp
Luxilon Eco Power
Wilson Shift