Get To Know ATP Cup... Part II

Fans will soon know which 18 countries are the first to qualify for the inaugural ATP Cup in Australia in January. By Monday (Australian time) ATP and event partner Tennis Australia will announce the first 18 countries – and the Top 2 committed players from each team. Those countries will then be drawn into groups Monday morning and later that day the group-stage schedule will be released.

Ahead of the country announcements and draw, get to know more about the event in Part 2 of our series explaining how the tournament will work. (Read Part 1)

How will the official draw work?
On Monday 16 September, the Top 18 teams will be divided into six groups, with two groups assigned to each of the three host cities. The first six seeds will be placed in Groups A to F. Countries 7-12 will then be randomly drawn into one of the six groups, followed by countries 13-18. (Protected ranking will not be used for seeding.) If Australia is outside the Top 18 countries on Friday it will gain entry as the host country and be randomly allocated to one of the six groups as the 19th team. 

I want to see a particular player in action. When are they playing?
The format of ATP Cup provides fans the unique opportunity to buy tickets in advance with confidence in seeing a particular country play. In addition to knowing on Monday into which groups the first 18 teams have been placed, the daily schedule for the group stage will be made.

The top two entered singles players from each qualified country will be known by Monday 16 September. Those players are committed to playing the event unless overtaken in the ATP Rankings by a countryman at the time of the second entry deadline on 13 November.

The remaining six countries will be announced mid-November, along with the full playing list. Each tie involves match-ups of the two top-ranked singles players and the two second-ranked singles players, followed by doubles. Selection for those match-ups will be finalised 3 p.m. the day before the Tie.

Is Australia guaranteed a place in the tournament?
Yes. If Australia is not one of the Top 18 teams in the ATP Cup Standings on Friday it will gain entry into the tournament as the host country. In this instance 19 teams will qualify at Friday’s first entry deadline and five (rather than six) additional teams will qualify at the second entry deadline on 13 November.

What are the ATP Cup Standings?
The ATP Cup Standings is a provisional entry list for the ATP Cup, ordered by the ATP Ranking (or Protected Ranking) of a country's highest-ranked singles player. ATP Cup Standings also show which players within each country would qualify for a place in their country’s team, subject to player entry rules.

What if a country’s top-ranked singles player does not commit to play the event at the time of the first entry deadline?
The country’s eligibility to qualify at the first entry deadline is determined by the singles ATP Ranking of its next-highest ranked entered singles player.

When will the final five or six teams be drawn into groups?
The remaining teams will be drawn and announced 13 November after the second entry deadline using the 11 November ATP Rankings, with each additional team drawn at random to a group.

from Tennis - ATP World Tour https://ift.tt/2Ae1Ype