Tennis Victoria announced the series - which will use the Universal Tennis Ratings - last Wednesday.
In the absence of Australian ranking tournaments, the UTR Series will be a good chance for regional players to get back out and test their skills after months of no action due to COVID-19.
And it all started on Saturday morning at Shepparton's McEwen Reserve.
Action continues this week, with play locked in for two days at the Shepparton Lawn Tennis Club on October 2 and 4.
Each venue will strictly follow Victorian Government and Tennis Victoria safety guidelines, with physical distancing and hygiene measures to be in place.
Tennis Victoria's tournament and events co-ordinator Shelly Hart was pleased to announce the return of competitive tennis.
“We are excited to be launching the Victoria UTR Series, and recommencing competitive play for junior athletes in regional Victoria,” she said.
“All tennis players, from social players to professionals, can use their Universal Tennis Rating to measure their competitive ability.
“Plenty of clubs were eager to get on board and run these events after a challenging few months with restrictions.
“We are looking forward to bringing the Victoria UTR Series events to Melbourne when permitted to do so.”
The UTR uses a ranking system that encourages fair play, allows skill level-based competition and accepts competitors from all age groups.
Players will compete in a round-robin draw and will use the UTR ‘Fast4’ scoring format which includes; first to four games, no ad scoring, play lets and tiebreaker at three-games-all.
Registrations are now open.
● In other tennis news, the Goulburn Murray Lawn Tennis Association has announced a start date for its season.
GMLTA's first round will be on November 7 and will be played under COVID-19 regulations.
Those regulations will see players arrive at the courts and play, with limited access to the clubrooms, no afternoon teas and while maintaining social distance as much as possible.
Teams need to be submitted to the committee by October 30, with players encouraged to register their interest with their local clubs.
Anyone interested in being involved can head to the Tennis Victoria website and sign up at https://app.myutr.com/clubs/10703
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