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With few opportunities available in their USTA sections due to Covid-19 safety concerns, juniors have flocked to Intercollegiate Tennis Association Summer Circuit events during the past four weeks. At the tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan that concluded Monday, the four top flight finalists were juniors, all of whom were delighted to begin their return to competitive tennis this summer.

Gold Flight Women's Champion Ellie Coleman
© Zoo Tennis

Tournament Director Tom Walker of the Grand Rapids Racquet Club decided to organize his first ITA Summer Circuit event when he learned local colleges accustomed to hosting would not be able to open their facilities this year.

“The Summer Circuits are usually reserved to be run by the college coaches and the college teams,” Walker said. “Michigan State ended up not being able to get their facilities open, universities couldn't get their courts open, dealing with the bureaucracy. So we had an opportunity to help the college players and junior players in this area and we thought we'd jump in to provide them playing opportunities.”

Although the ITA waived the usual requirement that a college program serve as the host, Walker had to stay flexible when the site that had initially agreed to host the event backed out. But a local high school and a community athletic facility stepped up, with two sites necessary due to the demand, particularly from national level juniors.

“The results were huge, the event sold out very, very quickly. In fact, so fast that many college players that had planned on playing didn't get entered in time based on the way the ITA accepts entries,” Walker said. “The pent-up demand for the juniors right now, without the national championships, without much to play, when the ITA Circuit comes out, it's first come, first served and then it's subdivided by level (via UTR). So what happened was, as soon as this came open, the juniors rushed in to enter, and the college players, who would generally enter later, were locked out of it.”