Washington and other tournaments ATP and WTA 21st-27th July 2025

[suttontennis]

I noticed at the ATP Challenger at Lexington this week, there is a player, Michael Zheng, who has a special entry with the code 'CO' . Does this relate to his coming from US College and those players are allowed entry under certain circumstances ? There is also another player Zhen Yi, entered with an 'NG' code. Can't figure that one out. Any thoughts ?

[cazza99]

NG may be Next Gen Accelerator Program according to AI.

"Next Gen Accelerator Program (NG):
The Next Gen Accelerator Program is designed to provide opportunities for young, promising players to develop and advance in their careers.
It can involve direct entry into ATP Challenger Tour main draws or access to other developmental events.
For example, players reaching the quarterfinals or better of the NCAA Division I Championships can qualify for the ATP Next Gen Accelerator, according to ATP Tour.
The program also aims to expand access to Challenger events for players ranked between 351-500 in the PIF ATP Rankings. "



CO may be College Accelerator Program according to AI but took a few goes as it kept on getting it wrong.

"College Accelerator (CO):
A program or code used in tennis to denote opportunities for college players, specifically NCAA Division I players.
May refer to spots in professional tournaments like ATP Challenger events or even main draws, says PDC Live Order of Merit."

[suttontennis]

I thought the CO was something to do with College, i think basically a player can either request a spot or be asked to play if some-one drops out at the last minute and no-one has signed in as an alternate, at least know the tournament know the player has reached a certain standard. Mr Zheng is a set up on Dan Evans as we speak.
The ATP rule/guide book isn't the most user friendly !

[cazza99]

Just seen there is a "JR" playing in Lexington. Looks like that is ajunior accelerator program.

"Junior Accelerator Programme (JR):
This program, also known as the Junior Ranking (JR), is a system that can be used to allocate spots in the main draw or qualifying of Challenger tournaments to high-ranking junior players, including those who are finalists in Junior Grand Slams or ranked in the top 20 at the end of the year. "