Academy Help Guide
Tennis.University Tournament Manager / Academy Help
Create tournaments, run qualifying rounds, manage draws, schedule matches, enter scores, run live point-by-point scoring, and manage your academy's internal player ranking โ all from one dashboard.
Overview
The Tournament Manager lets academy admins run full tennis tournaments โ from registering players to recording live scores โ entirely within Tennis.University.
Tournament
Top-level container โ name, venue, type, and dates. One tournament can have multiple events.
Event
A specific competition within the tournament, e.g. BU14 Singles or GU16 Doubles.
Qualifying
A pre-event bracket that produces 8 qualifiers who advance into the linked main draw event.
Match
An individual match within an event draw, with score entry and automatic bracket advancement.
Creating a Tournament
Start by creating the tournament container. Events, players, and draws can all be added after creation.
Go to Dashboard โ Tournaments
Click "New Tournament"
Fill in the details
- Name โ e.g. "ACE AITA CS7 2026"
- Venue โ location name
- City / State
- Start & End Date
Select Tournament Type
Choose the AITA tournament type. This controls which events are allowed, draw size caps, and whether qualifying rounds are available.
| Code | Name | Qual | Doubles |
|---|---|---|---|
| TS7 | Talent Series, 7-Day | โ | โ |
| CS3 | Championship Series, 3-Day | โ | โ |
| CS7 | Championship Series, 7-Day | โ | โ |
| SS | Super Series | โ | โ |
| NS | National Series | โ | โ |
| NAT | Nationals | โ | โ |
Click "Create Tournament"
๐พ Setting the Court Surface
After creation, the tournament detail page shows a surface dropdown inline next to the status selector. Options are: Clay, Hard, Grass, Carpet, Synthetic, or Other. It defaults to Surface unknown and can be changed at any time โ no save button needed, it updates instantly.
The surface you set here is used by the Opponent Evaluation surface breakdown โ so players who scout their upcoming opponents can see how that player performs on your specific court type. Set it accurately for your data to be most useful.
Adding Events
An event is a specific competition within the tournament. Add one event per category and format combination โ e.g. BU14 Singles, BU14 Doubles.
Open the tournament and click "Add Event"
Choose Event Type
CS3 (3-Day) tournaments only allow Main Draw. The Qualifying option is disabled.
Choose Category
Choose Type
Choose Draw Format
For Round Robin events (when available), a Standings tab will appear in the event panel showing live win/loss standings.
Set Max Players and Scoring Rules
- Max Players โ draw size. Locked automatically for tournament types with AITA caps; otherwise choose 8, 16, 32, or 64.
- Sets to Win โ typically 2 (best of 3) or 1 (single set).
- Final Set โ Super Tiebreak (10 pts) replaces a third set. Common in junior and doubles events.
- No-Ad โ at deuce, next point wins the game. Common in doubles.
Click "Add Event"
Qualifying Rounds
A qualifying event runs before the main draw and produces exactly 8 qualifiers who are promoted into the linked main draw event.
How bracket size is determined
The qualifying bracket is the smallest power of 2 that fits your registrations and always terminates in exactly 8 qualifiers:
Up to 16 players
16-slot bracket ยท 1 round
17 โ 32 players
32-slot bracket ยท 2 rounds
33 โ 64 players
64-slot bracket ยท 3 rounds
65 โ 128 players
128-slot bracket ยท 4 rounds
Create the qualifying event
Create the main draw event and link it
Run qualifying like a normal event
Promote qualifiers to the main draw
Generate the main draw bracket
Confirm Singles
Before doubles events can be created, all singles events must be added and confirmed. This is a one-way gate.
Why this step exists
Doubles pairings are linked to the singles draw structure. Confirming singles first ensures doubles events can be set up correctly without conflicting with the singles bracket.
Add all singles events
Click "โ Confirm Singles"
Doubles events are now unlocked
Managing Players
Add and manage players from the Players tab inside each event panel.
Adding Players
Open an event and go to the Players tab
Search by name or AITA ID
Click "Add" to register the player
Seeding Players
Seeds control bracket placement using ATP/ITF rules โ Seed 1 top, Seed 2 bottom, Seeds 3 & 4 in opposite halves, etc.
Manual seeding
Auto Seed by Rank
Doubles Pairs
For Doubles events, search for the first player and enter a partner name when adding. Both names appear on the bracket card. Seeding works the same as singles.
W/O & Retirement restriction
๐ฐ Lucky Losers
If a main draw event is linked to a qualifying event and the main draw bracket has not been generated yet, an "Add Lucky Loser" section appears at the bottom of the Players tab. It lists all players who lost in qualifying and are eligible to fill a vacancy.
# Serial Numbers
Click "# Sync Serials" in the Players tab to auto-assign sequential serial numbers to all registered players. Used for official registration record-keeping. Safe to run multiple times โ it re-assigns cleanly each time.
Generating the Draw
Once players are added and seeded, generate the bracket from the Draw tab inside the event panel.
Go to the Draw tab inside the event
Click "โก Generate Draw"
How seeded placement works (ATP/ITF rules):
- Seed 1 โ top of draw; Seed 2 โ bottom of draw
- Seeds 3 & 4 โ opposite quarter-final positions (randomised between Q2 and Q3)
- Seeds 5โ8 โ eighth-final positions in quarters not occupied by 1โ4 (randomised)
- Unseeded players โ remaining slots, randomly distributed
- Byes โ top seeds receive them first
After the draw is generated
A ๐ Re-generate button appears in the Draw toolbar. It rebuilds the bracket from scratch using the current player list and seedings.
Re-generate is disabled once any match has been scored or marked In Progress. At that point the draw is locked to protect bracket integrity. If you genuinely need to restart, contact support โ there is no self-service reset once play has begun.
Scheduling Rounds
Assign dates and court times so players know when to show up. You can schedule an entire round at once or individual matches separately.
Schedule a Round (bulk)
In the Draw tab, click "๐ Schedule a Round"
Select the round
Pick a date, time, and courts
Click Save
Schedule an Individual Match
Every match card has a ๐ clock icon in the top-right corner. Click it to open a modal for that specific match โ pick a date, time, and court without affecting the rest of the round. You can also use this to unschedule a match.
How schedule times are displayed on match cards
Venues & Courts
Courts are where matches are played and live scoring links are issued. Tournaments support one primary venue and any number of secondary venues โ useful when match load is distributed across multiple club locations.
Setting Up Venues
The Venues & Courts section is at the top of the tournament detail page. Courts are grouped inside collapsible venue panels.
Primary venue is auto-created
Add a secondary venue
Add courts to a venue
V1 / V2 labels
Every venue is assigned a short label โ V1 for primary, V2for the first secondary, and so on. These labels appear on match cards in the bracket, in the Schedule Round modal, on the live scoreboard, on the court scorer header, and in OOP PDFs โ so umpires and spectators always know which venue they're looking at.
Court Scoring Links (QR Codes)
Generate a scoring link
Share with the umpire
Revoke if needed
Entering Scores
Click any match card in the bracket to open the score entry dialog.
Click a match card
Enter sets
Tiebreak at 6โ6
Third set / Match Tiebreak
Walkovers and retirements
Note: players who give a W/O or retire are ineligible to be added as Lucky Losers in the main draw, and are blocked from doubles registration.
Click Save
Editing a score after saving
A completed match shows a small pencil (edit) icon on the match card. Clicking it opens the score modal in edit mode.
One-time edit only. Each match can be edited once after completion. Once edited, the pencil icon disappears โ the score is permanent.
Latest completed round only. Only matches in the most recently completed round are editable. Once the next round has results, earlier rounds are locked.
If editing a match changes the winner, the bracket advances the correct player forward automatically.
Live Scoring
There are two separate live scoring interfaces for different use cases. Both update the bracket in real time.
Method A โ Score button (Organiser)
Requires login ยท Accessed from the bracket ยท For the tournament organiser
Find the match card in the bracket
Click ๐ฑ Score
Select who serves first
Score point by point
Undo if needed
Match complete
Method B โ Court Token / QR Code (Umpire)
No login required ยท Accessed via QR code ยท For court-side umpires
Setup (Organiser)
Add venues and courts to the tournament
Generate a scoring link
Activate a match on a court
Scoring (Umpire)
Scan the QR code or open the court URL
Select who serves first
Tap the player's name after each point
Tap Undo if needed
โถ Go Live & Public Scoreboard
The โถ Go Live button (visible on each match card) marks the match as In Progress on the public scoreboard โ it's separate from both scoring methods above. The live scoreboard at /tournaments/[id]/live refreshes every 30 seconds and shows the court and venue name (e.g. Court 2 ยท Venue B) for multi-venue tournaments. A ๐ด Live Scores button appears on the public tournament page when matches are in progress.
PDF Exports
Two official PDFs can be downloaded from the tournament dashboard.
Draw Sheet
Full bracket in A4 โ one sheet per event
Available from the Draw tab inside each event panel once the bracket is generated. The Draw Sheet PDF includes:
- Full single-elimination bracket with player names and AITA numbers
- Seeded players table (SN ยท Seed ยท AITA No. ยท Player)
- BYE positions preserved at the correct draw slots
- White and green colour scheme
Order of Play (OOP)
Daily schedule โ all events, all courts
Download from the Order of Play card at the top of the tournament dashboard. Select a date and click Download PDF.
Multi-venue OOP
If your tournament has more than one venue, a venue selector appears:
- All venues (combined) โ one PDF covering every court across all venues
- Select a specific venue โ generates a per-venue PDF showing only that venue's courts and matches, with a V1/V2 label in the header
The OOP PDF uses a white and green colour scheme. Each event section lists only its own venue's courts, keeping per-venue printouts clean.
Completing a Tournament
Events and tournaments complete automatically as scores are entered โ but here's what to expect:
Event auto-completion
When every non-BYE match in an event has been scored, the event is automatically marked Completed.
Tournament completion
Once all events are complete, change the tournament status to Completed using the status dropdown at the top of the tournament page.
Locked after completion
Completed tournaments cannot have new events added. The Add Event button is hidden and the API blocks additions.
Delete protection
Tournaments with any played matches cannot be deleted. This prevents accidental loss of official match records.
Academy Player Ranking
The Academy Player Ranking (ALPR) is an internal ranking system for your academy. Run match days between your enrolled players, track wins, losses, and points, and maintain a live rankings ladder โ all separate from AITA tournaments. Access it from your Academy Dashboard under Academy Level Player Ranking, or at /dashboard/academy/ranking.
Players
Enrolled players linked by AITA ID. Manage who participates in the ranking.
Match Types
Define scoring formats, point values, and rules for every category โ including singles and doubles, with bonus set points.
Match Days
Group matches by session date. Add singles and doubles matches; assign courts and schedule times.
Courts
Set up courts for match days and generate a per-day Order of Play PDF with scores inline.
External Points
Log points from State, National, or International tournaments and include them in the rankings.
Reports
Rankings ladder, monthly rankings (singles/doubles split), head-to-head, and player performance โ all exportable as PDF.
Managing Enrolled Players
Go to Ranking โ Players
Search and enrol players
Activate or deactivate
Setting Up Match Types
Match types define the scoring format and point values for different categories of internal matches. Go to /dashboard/academy/ranking/match-types.
| Setting | What it controls |
|---|---|
| Name | e.g. "Singles Pro Set", "Doubles Best of 3" โ shown on match day cards and reports. |
| Format | Singles or Doubles. See the Doubles section below for doubles-specific options. |
| Scoring Format | Choose the match structure:
|
| Points for Win | Ranking points awarded to the winner. Set to zero to track results without affecting the ladder. |
| Points for Loss | Ranking points added (not deducted) for the losing player. Rewards participation โ set to zero if you only want winners to earn points. |
| Bonus Points per Set Won (Loser) | Available on Full 3 Sets, Full 5 Sets, and Doubles Best of 3. Awards the losing player a small bonus for each set they won โ e.g. 2 pts per set won by the loser. Encourages fight-back play and rewards strong performances even in a loss. Shown separately in the Monthly Rankings report. |
๐พ Doubles Matches
Academy ranking fully supports doubles matches. When adding a match inside a match day, select a doubles match type and you can specify both players on each side. Doubles partner names appear on match cards and in player performance reports.
Running Match Days
A match day groups all internal matches played in a single session. Go to /dashboard/academy/ranking/match-days.
Create a Match Day
Add matches
Assign a court and time (optional)
Publish or save as draft
๐๏ธ Courts & Order of Play
Add courts to your academy ranking so they can be assigned to individual matches within match days. Go to /dashboard/academy/ranking/courts (or access via the Courts tab on the ranking hub).
Add courts
Assign courts to matches
Download the Order of Play PDF
๐ External Tournament Points
Players earn points outside your academy too โ State tournaments, Nationals, ITF events. You can log these external results and include them in the academy rankings ladder so the standings reflect a player's complete competitive record, not just internal match days.
Go to a player's profile or the External Points section
Fill in the tournament details
Points appear in rankings immediately
๐ Rankings Reports
Go to /dashboard/academy/ranking/reports to access four report tabs.
๐ Leaderboard
Overall rankings ladder โ all players, all time
All enrolled players sorted by total points. Shows wins, losses, matches played, win rate, and a points breakdown (internal match day points + external tournament points). The top player badge updates each month.
๐ Monthly Rankings
Points and matches per player, by month โ singles and doubles split
A month-by-month breakdown of each player's activity. The table includes:
- Matches (M) โ total matches played that month
- Singles Pts / Doubles Pts โ points split by format so coaching staff can see where a player is earning points
- W/L โ win/loss record for the month
Use the month selector (cross-browser Month + Year dropdowns) to navigate between months. Click Download PDF to export the monthly rankings table as a PDF with meaningful filenames (e.g. Monthly_Rankings_March_2026.pdf).
โ๏ธ Head to Head
Head-to-head records between any two players
Select any two enrolled players to see their full head-to-head record โ all matches, scores, dates, and outcomes. Use the Month filter to narrow results to a specific month; the H2H record and win/loss bar both update automatically. Empty state is shown clearly when no matches exist for the selected period.
๐ค Player Performance
Full match history and points breakdown for a single player
Select a player to see all their academy matches with full details: match type, opponent (and partner/opponent partner for doubles), score, result, and points earned. The report includes:
- Points Breakdown โ internal match day points (by type) + external tournament points, shown separately so coaches can see the source of each player's points
- Score column โ set-by-set scores displayed inline for every match
- Doubles partner / opponent โ partner name and opposing pair shown on doubles match rows
Click Download PDF to export the full report as a PDF. Filenames are auto-generated with the player's name and date (e.g. Performance_Arjun_Sharma_March_2026.pdf).
FAQ
Why can't I create a qualifying event?โพ
Why can't I add a doubles event?โพ
Can I add players after generating the draw?โพ
Can I re-generate the draw after it's been created?โพ
What happens if a player withdraws mid-tournament?โพ
What is a Lucky Loser?โพ
What's the difference between ๐ฑ Score and the QR code?โพ
Can I edit a score after saving it?โพ
My tournament uses two different club locations. How do I manage that?โพ
Can I download a separate Order of Play PDF for each venue?โพ
How do I set the court surface for my tournament?โพ
What does "Not Before" mean on a scheduled match?โพ
How are byes handled?โพ
Can I run Singles and Doubles simultaneously?โพ
The court token stopped working โ what do I do?โพ
Can spectators see the draw and scores?โพ
Can players import tournament results into their Performance Tracker?โพ
What is the Academy Player Ranking (ALPR)?โพ
How do players see their academy ranking?โพ
Can I run internal academy matches without affecting the rankings ladder?โพ
What is the 'Play All Sets' option?โพ
What is 'Best of 9' and when should I use it?โพ
What are bonus points per set won (loser)?โพ
Can I run doubles matches in the Academy Ranking?โพ
How do I add points from an external tournament (State, National, ITF)?โพ
How do I assign courts to matches in the Academy Ranking?โพ
Can I generate an Order of Play PDF for an academy match day?โพ
Match times are showing in the wrong timezone โ what's happening?โพ
The Monthly Rankings PDF filename just says 'report.pdf' โ is that right?โพ
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