Registration Deadline

Thursday, July 2nd, 2026 at 8:00 PM or until event draw fills.  To guarantee a requested shirt size, please register by Tuesday, June 30th.

Location

Tournament Headquarters – Litchfield High School Tennis Complex (south of high school) – 8 courts
Armory Tennis Courts (Just down the street from high school courts.  Corner of E 6th St and N Gilman Ave) – 4 courts
All players must check in and be ready to play 15 minutes before their scheduled match! 

Tournament Values

• Sportsmanship – Litchfield Watercade has prided itself on the sportsmanship of its partipants for 45 years!  This is a fantastic small town tournament with some excellent tennis!  However, it is not a pro event.  No money or ranking points are at stake.  Players and fans are expected to conduct themselves appropriately at all times.
• Safety – We will err on the side of caution given the summer heat and occasional inclimate weather.  We try to ensure players have appropriate rest between matches throughout the tournament.  This can raise a little havoc with the draws at times.   We appreciate your patience and grace as we work through inevitable snafus that can occur.

Events Offered

Adult Events

• Men’s Open Singles
  Advanced Players (High Ranking High School Players, DIII College Players, and NTRP high 4.0 to low 5.0 players have played this tournament in the past).  This should not discourage you from playing – but give you an estimation of the level of competition you could see.
• Men’s Open Doubles
  Advanced Players (High Ranking High School Players, DIII College Players, and NTRP doubles teams of solid 8.0 to 9.0 players have played this tournament in the past). 
• Women’s Open Singles
  Intermediate to Advanced Players (Generally has been varsity high school players with occasional local DIII college players and some adults around a USTA 4.0 NTRP have played here.  Level will generally have highly consistent players)
• Women’s Open Doubles
  Intermediate to Advanced Players (Similar player mix to Women’s Open Singles.  Intermediate to strong high school players and adults)
• Mixed Open Doubles
  Broad Spectrum of players – Intermediate to Advanced.  Fun first – but still strong players.
• Mixed A Doubles – A new division designed for fun, connection, and spirited (but friendly!) play. Perfect for parent/child teams, youth players, and anyone looking to enjoy the game in a more relaxed setting.
• Men’s A Singles and Doubles
  Primarily an Intermediate division made up of juniors (JV and Varsity high school players, but not Open division caliber) and adults/seniors that are consistent and wily but perhaps lack the power or physicality of the Open division.

Junior Events

• Boy’s 18U and 15U Singles
  These are “18 and Under” and “15 and Under” divisions.  A player needs to be within the age category as of the dates of the tournament.  High ranking 18U players should consider playing the Open division if they are looking for higher competition. 
• Girl’s 18U and 15U Singles
  These are “18 and Under” and “15 and Under” divisions.  A player needs to be within the age category as of the dates of the tournament.  High ranking 18U players should consider playing the Open division if they are looking for higher competition.

Entry Fees

Players may register for a maximum of 2 “Adult” events. Due to scheduling, we cannot accommodate exceptions.  Juniors playing in the junior divisions could register for a maximum of 3 events (1 junior + 2 adult events).  Personally we recommend against it due to the summertime heat and safety of the players.

• Singles: $30
• Doubles: $60 per team ($30 per player)

T-Shirts

All entrants will receive a T-shirt. Please enter your requested size (unisex sizing) in the entry form.  While the tournament entry deadline is Friday, July 3rd, to ensure that you can get the T-shirt size you want, we ask that your entry is received by Tuesday, June 30th. 

We will do our best to honor all requested sizes, but may not be able to accommodate XS and XXL sizes due to quantity requirements when ordering.

You will be given your t-shirt upon first match check in.  If you would like to get a different size t-shirt – please consider trading with other players first – if there are t-shirts remaining after all players have checked in and received their shirts, we will exchange your shirt for a different size if one is available.

Awards

Awards will be given for champion, runner up, and consolation champion of each event

Consolation

All events have a 2 match guarantee. The inclusion of consolation brackets will be dependent on the number of entries in any given event class.

Water and Food

There will be water available at the tournament site for players and fans.  Saturday and Sunday, concessions will be available for purchase at the softball tournament across the street.  No alcohol is allowed on-site at the tennis tournament.

Schedule

Junior Boy’s and Girl’s Singles Events

Junior boy’s and girl’s 18U matches will take place on Thursday, July 9th.
Junior boy’s and girl’s 15U matches will take place on Friday, July 10th. 
Matches will begin around 8:30 AM depending on draw sizes and run throughout the day.  Finals matches should conclude by around 7:00 PM, weather permitting. 
Please remember the softball tournament vending will not be open on Thursday or Friday.  Players should bring food or arrange for meals between their scheduled matches. 

Adult Events

Depending on draw sizes, play may begin as early as Friday afternoon at 4:00 PM.  Play will continue through Saturday and Sunday until the tournament concludes.  We may not be able to schedule players who are unable to compete on Friday evening.

The schedule may be updated throughout the tournament at the tournament directors’ discretion due to weather delays and/or extreme heat

The schedule and brackets will be updated on this site throughout the tournament

• Friday: Matches may begin as early as 4:00 PM and be played until sunset
• Saturday: Matches will begin at 8:00 AM and be played until approximately 8:00 PM
• Sunday: Matches will begin at 8:30 AM and be played until tournament completion

Tournament Rules and Regulations

The tournament will provide tennis balls for all matches.

Junior Boy’s and Girl’s Singles Events

• All matches will be played using the “short-set” format.  This format is where each set begins at 2-2 and is played out from there.  
• No-ad games scoring.  When a game reaches deuce – the receiver picks the side they would like to receive on.
• Like normal sets, when a set reaches 6-6, a 7 point tie-breaker will be played.
• If the players split sets, a 10 point tie-breaker will be played in lieu of a 3rd set.
• In all tie-breakers, a player must win by 2 points. (7-5, 8-6, etc.)
• In set and match tie-breakers, players/teams will switch sides every 6 points.

Main Draw Matches – Up to Semi-Finals and All Consolation Draw Matches

• Matches will be 2 standard sets with no-ad game scoring
• If the score becomes deuce, in singles and doubles, the receiver will decide which side of court they would like to receive the final point.
• On deuce points in mixed doubles, server will serve to the receiver of the same sex for the final point.
• When a set reaches 6-6, a 7 point tie-breaker will be played.
• If the players split sets, a 10 point tie-breaker will be played in lieu of a 3rd set.
• In all tie-breakers, a player must win by 2 points. (7-5, 8-6, etc.)
• In set and match tie-breakers, players/teams will switch sides every 6 points.

Main Draw Matches – Semi-Finals and Finals (Changes from above)

• Matches will be 2 standard sets with standard game scoring (deuce and ad points).
• If the players split sets, a 10 point tie-breaker will be played in lieu of a 3rd set.

Other Considerations

• Players will play no more than 2 matches back to back during the tournament.
• Players with back to back matches will have a minimum 75 minute rest before their next match.

All tournament proceeds benefit the Litchfield Tennis Association