The GLTA World Tour Championships hold a unique place among GLTA tennis events. This is the culmination of all GLTA Tournaments from 1 November until 31 October of the following year. The tournament is about terrific tennis as the top 8 players in each division (Open, A, B, C and D singles and doubles) face off for the GLTA Men’s and Women’s Champion title. But it is also about friendship, enjoyment of the game and spending a great time together.
Time, location and cost of the GLTA World Tour Championship
The Championship is played annually in January/February. The location of the Tournament rotates currently between North America, Europe and Asia/Australia. The exact time and location of the Championships will be announced on GLTA webpage and Facebook page and listed on our World Tour Calendar as soon as they become available.
GLTA World Tour Championship is organised by GLTA. The participants can expect a lot of tennis, a player’s banquet and GLTA logo merchandise. The majority of the Championship costs will be covered by GLTA but we reserve the right to also charge a fee.
How to qualify
GLTA World Tour Championships are invitational. The GLTA Board invites 8 top-ranked men and women in each division (Open, A, B, C and D singles and doubles) to compete at the year-end Championship. In the event that one (or several) of the top eight players cannot participate, the next player(s) in line will be invited to play until there are 8 players in each division.
GLTA male members are eligible to qualify if they have played a minimum of 3 tournaments during the eligibility period (1 November to 31 October of the following year) but won’t be listed with a gradation in the software until after they have accumulated at least 20 championship points. However, all players are in “qualifying” position after playing the required 3 tournaments and will be eligible for participation in the GLTA World Tour Championships.
GLTA female members are eligible to qualify if they have played a minimum of 2 tournaments during the eligibility period (1 November to 31 October of the following year). There is currently no championship points threshold.
As for doubles, male and female players will be competing as individual doubles players throughout the year. It is not necessary to play with the same partner to qualify for this competition. The top 8 players in each division (Open, A, B, C and D doubles) will be invited to participate first.
Your GLTA Championship rank is completely separate from the GLTA ranking system and depends on how many championship points you have accumulated during the eligibility period.
Championship points are awarded as follows: 1 point is awarded per match won. 5 points are awarded per semi-final won and 10 points are awarded per tournament won. Playing in a Masters Series Tournament earns double championship race points.
|
GLTA Tournament |
GLTA Masters Series Event |
|
|
Match won |
1 |
2 |
|
Semi-final won |
5 |
10 |
|
Tournament won |
10 |
20 |
You are eligible to play in the division where you accumulated the most GLTA Championship points during the period of Nov 1 through Oct 31 of the following year. If you earned an equal amount of points in two divisions, you will be required to play in the higher division.
If a player wins a Championship in the higher division (regardless of which division they earned the most points) they must play in the higher division for the Champions race.
Please note: The GLTA Championship is an invitational only event. The event is organized by the GLTA, and players that can’t demonstrate a welcoming, supportive and safe environment free from bullying and harassment are subject to a ban from the GLTA World Tour Championships.
GLTA Championships Format:
Singles format:
There will be 2 groups of 4 to play in a round robin format.
A player will play one match against each player in their group. The #1 and #2 players in each group will advance to the semi-finals. The #1 player from group A will play against the #2 player from group B and vice versa.
Doubles format:
There will be 2 groups of 4 to play in a round robin format.
A player will play 1 round with each of the other players in their group. The #1 and #2 players from each group will advance to the finals. The #1 player from group A will play with the #2 player from group B and vice versa.