Adults of all ages are invited to enter -- by this Sunday, July 5 -- the
USTA-sanctioned National Collegiate Clay Court Championships/West Penn
Amateur tournament that will be held July 7-11 in Mt. Lebanon. Competition
will include Men's and Women's Open Singles, Men's and Women's Open
Doubles, and Open Mixed Doubles. Online entry through TennisLink on the AMD website: www.amd.usta.com

This top amateur tournament will be held in conjunction with the $10,000-
purse UBS Men's Futures of Pittsburgh pro event that begins with qualifying
rounds starting Saturday, July 4 and concludes Sunday, July 12.  A Players
and Volunteers Party will be held at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center Tuesday, July 7 at 5 p.m. This will be followed by a featured main draw doubles match with local teaching pros, Scott Kahler and Dan Gal making their pro debut.

For more information contact: Dan Hackett, tournament director, at
danhackettcpa@yahoo.com.

Four other USTA-sanctioned adult events will be held this summer. All are listed on the AMD web site (www.amd.usta.com) and all permit easy, online entry with a credit card. They are:

July 22-26 - West Virginia Open. Sectional Championship in
Wheeling, W. Va. with numerous singles and doubles events for both men and women. Prize money for open divisions. Age-group and 3.5 rating competition also will be held. Contact: Mark Panepinto (304) 232-9500 or
markp@stratuswave.net

Aug. 7-9 -- Champion Ford/Hallman Chevrolet Erie Tennis
Championship.
Prize money tournament at the Pennbriar Athletic Club in Erie.
ID: 351115709. Men's & Women's Open Singles, Men's Open Doubles and
Mixed Open Doubles. Contact: Kelly S. Maslar, 814 825-8111 ext 16 or
kervmaz@hotmail.com.

Sept. 19-20 and Sept. 26-27 - AMD Director's Cup
(ID: 351116309). Season-ending tournament played over two weekends at North Allegheny High School in Wexford, Pa. with Men's and Women's Open Singles, Doubles and Mixed Doubles and age division competition in singles, doubles and mixed for players 35, 45, 55 and 65. Contact: Jim Block at (412)
364-2062 or block41@verizon.net.

The AMD board approved in June a new online Adult Ranking System for
tournament play in 2009.

The new system is based on the Points Per Round (PPR) system used by Middle States and the other five districts in the section. The rankings will be updated weekly throughout the tournament season. Here is a summary of the new system that was approved: including these major provisions:

1. Each round won in the Main Draw of a standardtournament will count for 20 points. (If you are in an 8-player singles draw, for example, and win all three rounds, you will receive 20 points for each round won for a total of 60 points. The runner-up, who won two rounds and lost in the finals, will receive 40 points. The two players who won their first-round match but lost in the semi-finals, will receive 20 points each. The first-round losers will receive 0 points, but may play in the consolations, if offered.

2. Consolation round wins will count for 5 points.

3. Sectional Championships and Prize Money tournaments will award 30 points for each Main Draw round won and 10 points for each Consolation win.

4. A "Bye" counts as a win in the Main Draw but does not count in the

5. Wins by default and walkovers count as wins in both the Main Draw and Consolations.

6. Only a players' best point-total results for three (3) tournaments will count towards his or her ranking. (It is to your advantage to enter as many USTA-sanctioned adult tournaments held in the district during the calendar year, but only your best results from three tournaments will be counted by the computer software. If you enter 5 tournaments, for example, and win one round in each tournament, your ranking points total will be 60 points, not 100 points).

Minimum Ranking Requirements

1. Residency in AMD is required. Only players who live in the district
can be ranked.

2. Players need only play in one USTA sanctioned adult tournament held
within the AMD boundaries during the calendar year and to win one match,
main draw or consolation.

Midway through the 9-tournament adult summer tournament season, there are close races for the No. 1 position in a number of divisions. In the Men's
Open Singles division, for example, 32 players are currently ranked with a
tie at the No. 1 position. Dave Hogle of Pittsburgh, who won the Straub
Brewery Clay Court Championships in Saint Mary's and the Monroeville
Classic, has 160 points, as does Ryan Abel of Manor, Pa., who won the
Clarion Adult Open and picked up wins, and points, in the Monroeville
Classic and the Bob O'Connor Classic.

Parents or club volunteers who wish to enter Junior Team Tennis (JTT) teams in the AMD championships July 26-27 must first contact Alan Bandell, AMD Junior Team Tennis Coordinator, by July 9 to receive a team ID number. Players have until July 16 to register for teams online. Bandell may be reached at 800-493-2630 ext. 202, or by cell phone at 412-400-7505, or by email at: alan.bandell@axiondata.com.

Teams will consist of four boys and four girls and may compete in one of
four divisions: 14-and-under Intermediate, 14-and-under Advanced,
18-and-under Intermediate, and 18-and-under Advanced. A maximum of five
teams will be registered in each division on a first-come, first-served
basis.

AMD's 14-and-under championships will be held at the Peters Township Tennis Center, while the 18-and-under championships will be held at the Mt. Lebanon Tennis Center.

The four division winners will advance to the Middle States Sectional
Championship August 8-9 in New Jersey, with the sectional champions
advancing to the national championships in Alabama in October.

Chuck Vietmeier of Pittsburgh has been named National Sales Manager of Gamma Sports. He will manage Gamma's pro shop, consumer, large retail and
distributor channels of distribution. Vietmeier has been with Pittsburgh-based Gamma for the past 20 years.