AUSTIN TENNIS NET - LADDER RULES
Play
1.
The Austin Tennis Net consists of a singles ladder and
a doubles ladder. The ladders are broken up into rungs. A typical
rung consists of three players, but may contain more, depending
on the number of players in the ladder during the round. The only
requirement to play in the ladder is to know and abide by the
Rules and Code of Tennis as well as the rules of the ladder.
2.
Each player in the rung should play two matches within
that round. A round normally runs two and a half weeks. An extension
may be granted due to bad weather or a major holiday. A third
match may be played if the player is challenged, or issues a challenge.
The results from your matches will determine the placement for
the next round.
3.
The Net Coordinator (aka NetCoord) will post the ladder
pairings on the first day of the round. Each player is responsible
for checking the web site for their match information, for contacting
the other players in their rung, and ensuring that their contact
information is correct. Most communication is done through email,
although a phone number should be included in the event of difficult
communication or the need to cancel a match.
4.
Contact with your opponents should be done in a timely
manner or you may be defaulted (and ultimately dropped out of
the ladder). The actual date, time, and location of the match
should be determined by the players. Please refer to the
Contacting Players section for more information.
5. New players, those returning after a break from the ladder,
or players advancing more than two rungs may be challenged.
Those players are marked with an ‘N’ on the ladder listing. Please
refer to the Challenge section for more information
6. There is no rule 6!
7.
Each player is responsible for entering/verifying the
results by 10:00 p.m. on the last day of the round. Check
the web site in the event of a round getting extended. See Reporting
Scores for more information. Failure to enter match scores
may prevent you from moving up, and may incur the wrath of the
NetCoord!
8.
Based on the results, you may advance up in the ladder,
move down, or stay. See the Ladder Advancement section
for more information.
9.
Each match should be best 2 out of 3 sets. A tiebreaker
shall decide all sets tied at 6-6, unless previously agreed to
by both players. The 3rd set should be played out,
with a tiebreaker at 6 games apiece. A regular tiebreaker is preferred (switch every 6 points), but a Coman tiebreaker may be played if everyone agrees.
10.
Alternative scoring methods are acceptable in the event
a match needs to be shortened, provided that both
players agree (i.e. lighting, time constraints, people waiting
for a court, etc). Alternative methods include playing an 18-point
tiebreaker (first to ten points, winning by two), no-ad scoring,
or short sets where you start at 2-2. The goal is to play tennis,
and hopefully the matches are competitive as well.
11.
The ITF Rules of Tennis, The Code of Tennis, and the USTA Regulations
shall apply unless otherwise noted.
12.
Matches should begin no later than 15 minutes after the scheduled
time. The on-time player may impose USTA Regulation time penalties
for late players. The late player may also be subject to Penalties.
Two forfeits in a round will result in removal from the ladder.
13.
Play will consist of two matches per round. Each player will
provide a new can of balls during the round. The can should
have a ‘USTA approved’ label on it. The player/team listed first
for the match is responsible for providing the can.
14. A player available for less than half the round may be subject to forfeiting their match if the match is not played.
Ladder Placement:
Initial placement is determined by playing level. Subsequent placement in
the ladder is determined by match results. The results from the
individual rung are viewed as a whole, and not on an individual
player versus player basis. This means you may end up beating
one of your opponents and losing to the other, with the one you
beat moving up and you moving down. The results from both matches
determine the placement for the next round, based on:
1) Most match wins.
2) Best set won/lost percentage.
3) Best game won/lost percentage.
4) Toss of coin.
A forfeited match should show the reason for the forfeit. The player receiving the forfeit should also take the two sets. For placement purposes, a forfeit win counts as one game won (1-0) while a forfeit loss counts as 12 games lost (0-6, 0-6).
A player that wins both matches by receiving a forfeit and not
by playing will probably not move up for the next round – you
need to actually play and win to advance.
Results from partial matches will be used when a match can not
finish. The person ahead in the set will win the set. Matches
played at a tennis center, where you have a limited amount of
time, should finish if another court is available (you should
plan on playing for at least two hours). Matches that can not
finish on the original day can be scheduled to complete on another
day if both players are able to. Because there is a limited amount
of time for each round and matches are scheduled in advance, finishing
a match at a later date is not always practical.
Special Advancement:
The placement of new players is based on their self-ratings. The goal is
to have fun, competitive matches. A competitive match is one where
both players win more than 4 games (i.e. 6-2, 6-2 would be non-competitive).
When both matches in a round are non-competitive, the player may
be advanced or demoted more than one rung. Players advancing more
than two rungs are subject to being challenged.
Placement Errors:
Any errors in placement should be reported within 24 hours of
the ladder being sent out. No changes to the ladder will be made
after 24 hours. If you win both matches and are not moved up,
ask!!!
Contacting Players
Although the ladder is somewhat informal, it is dependant on the players
to contact each to set up their matches. To avoid problems from unresponsive
players, we will follow the 3/3 rule as specified below.
The
3/3 Rule: Once the ladder pairings are released, players
have 3 days to make initial contact, with three days to respond
to the initial contact. If a player has not attempted to contact
the other player within these dates, the time and date of the
default should be entered with a reason of "no contact".
The first incident will result in a warning, with a second incident
resulting in removal from the ladder. The person winning through
a forfeit may not advance if both matches are forfeited to them.
People are expected to read their
email and respond promptly, players should not have to call if
another player fails to respond to email. If players do not respond
to email, they can be defaulted under the 3/3 rule. If a player
doesn't read email frequently, they should make sure they know
when the next round comes out and at least make initial contact
by email to tell the other players the best way to contact them.
The date range of each round is posted on the site home page.
SETTING UP THE MATCH : The Austin Tennis Net includes players from all over the Austin area. The match location is decided by those playing, though they should be willing to compromise and play at a tennis center (Caswell, Austin HS, Pharr, Austin Tennis Center, or South Austin Tennis Center) or other court within that general area if necessary. Preferences such as court location and time or days should be entered in the notes section. As a last resort Caswell, Austin HS, or Pharr should be used if an agreement can't be reached. If an agreement can not be reached, the NetCoord shall decide where the match is to be played.
Matches may be played at tennis clubs. Visitors should not be required to pay a fee to play.
WITHDRAWALS: To
avoid being penalized, a player should withdraw from the ladder
BEFORE the next round starts, so that the other
players can rely on playing two matches. To withdraw from the ladder, click on the ‘Withdraw for Next Round’ link in the singles ladder or the ‘De-activate Team for Next Round’ link in the doubles ladder. If successful, you should appear on the ‘withdrawing players/team’ list. When you are ready to play again, click on 'join for next round’ for the singles ladder or the ‘activate existing team’ or ‘create new team’ for the doubles ladder. Failure to withdraw will most likely incite the wrath of the NetCoord.
NO-SHOW: A no-show
shows lack of responsibility and will not be tolerated. A warning
will be issued after the 1st no-show, with removal from the ladder
after the 2nd. An appeal can be made for extenuating circumstances.
CANCELLATIONS: Cancellations made within 72
hours of the match should confirmed. If an email is sent out,
a response should be received. Otherwise a phone call should be
made to ensure that the other party knows about the cancellation.
Email is handy in setting up these matches, but can not always
be relied upon when you have to cancel. A cancellation within
24 hours will result in an automatic forfeit of the match. You
may request to reschedule the match, but given the time constraints
it will rest on the person receiving the forfeit to decide on
rescheduling.
FORFEITS: A player that does not play both matches (i.e. thru forfeit or match not reported) in a round will be removed from the ladder for the following round.
Players that request reinstatement and are approved will be added
back to the ladder, with a demotion of at least two rungs (one
for losing both matches and one as a penalty).
Reporting Scores
Scores should be reported by entering them in on the web site.
Both players should enter/verify their scores
as soon as possible and no later than 10:00pm on the last day of
the round. Scores not reported by the deadline will be entered as 'not reported' and will be handled as a forfeit for both players. Please follow the standard match
score format, with the score listed from the winner’s view:
Joe beat Tom 6-4, 6-3
| Date |
Ok |
Home
Player
|
Sets
Won |
Match
Score |
Sets
Won |
Visitor
Player |
Ok |
| 3/1/2005
|
|
Joe |
2
|
6-4,
6-3 |
0
|
Tom |
|
Terry
beat Frank 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
| Date |
Ok |
Home
Player
|
Sets
Won |
Match
Score |
Sets
Won |
Visitor
Player |
Ok |
| 3/1/2005
|
|
Frank |
1
|
4-6,
6-2, 6-2 |
2
|
Terry |
|
Even
though Terry is on the right, the score score be entered as shown
above.
Tiebreakers
should list the tiebreak score in parentheses:
Kim
beat Kerry 6-2, 6-7(9), 7-6(0)
| Date |
Ok |
Home
Player
|
Sets
Won |
Match
Score |
Sets
Won |
Visitor
Player |
Ok |
| 3/1/2005
|
|
Kim |
2
|
6-2,
6-7(9), 7-6(0) |
1
|
Kerry |
|
Where
Kim won the match, lost the 2nd set tiebreaker 11-9 and won the
3rd set tiebreaker 7-0.
Although
you should play the set out, if you need to play a tiebreaker
in lieu of a 3rd set, score it as:
Leroy
beat Larry 1-6, 6-1, 1-0(4)
| Date |
Ok |
Home
Player
|
Sets
Won |
Match
Score |
Sets
Won |
Visitor
Player |
Ok |
| 3/1/2005
|
|
Larry |
1
|
1-6,
6-1, 1-0(4) |
2
|
Leroy |
|
indicating a 3rd
set tiebreaker with a score of 10-4.
Partial
match scores should be reported when a match is not completed.
The player with a lead in a set will be awarded the complete set.
A brief reason should also be entered, for example:
Linda
beat Sandra 6-3 in the first set, and behind 3-4 in the second
when time ran out
| Date |
Ok |
Home
Player
|
Sets
Won |
Match
Score |
Sets
Won |
Visitor
Player |
Ok |
| 3/1/2005
|
|
Linda |
1
|
6-3,
3-4 (time) |
1
|
Sandra |
|
If Linda were ahead in the 2nd set, she would win the match since
she won the first set also.
When a match is forfeited, the reason for the forfeit should
be entered with the person receiving the forfeit awarded two sets.
Reasons for a forfeit include ‘no contact’, ‘unavailable’, 'unable to schedule', 'no show', ‘injured’,
and ‘illness’.
| Date |
Ok |
Home
Player
|
Sets
Won |
Match
Score |
Sets
Won |
Visitor
Player |
Ok |
| 3/1/2005
|
|
Natalie |
0 |
illness |
2
|
Laura |
|
Penalties
Penalties will be assessed as follows:
First incident: a warning will be issued.
Second incident: a demotion of at least two rungs and/or suspension for up to 6 months.
Third incident: removal from the ladder.
An appeal to the ‘committee’ may be made if there are extenuating
circumstances. The ‘committee’ is made up of nine ladder players
that have played on the ladder for more than one year and are
deemed to be a nice guy or gal. They are chosen for a term of
six months. Their purpose is to act as a judge for matters that
require impartiality and to advise the NetCoord as needed. The
decision made by each member is their own, and not subject to
coercion or the wrath of the NetCoord.
Challenges:
New players, those players returning after a break, and players
advanced more than two rungs are susceptible to being challenged
by a player below them. The ladder listing shows the placements
for the round, and those players with an ‘N’ in the rung column
can be challenged. Special rules include:
A player can only be challenged once a round.
You may challenge players from 2 to 12 rungs above you.
The Challenge Link will become active on the 4th day of the round.
The Challenge Link will stay active for one week after being activated.
Challenges are on a first come, first served basis.
The challenger supplies the can of tennis balls.
The challenged player should offer a choice of courts to play the challenge match.
To issue a challenge, click on the 'Request a Challenge' link fromthe Singles menu. The players that you can challenge will pop up.
A player that is challenged and does not play will be subject to being challenged in the next round. Should that player again refuse to play a challenge, they will be demoted two rungs for the following round.
Players that are marked as being challengeable may also issue
a challenge, but will need to play their other matches in order
to have the results determine the next round placements.
Results from challenge match as well as the regular matches will
be used in determining placements for the next round.
Miscellaneous:
The ladders and information supplied are for personal use only.
Any other use may result in warnings, removal from the group,
and litigation.
The Net Coord is John Kitchens. Please limit ladder questions
to email. DO NOT CALL. The email address is greenhornet59@sbcglobal.net. The
url for the web site is http://www.austintennisnet.org
and will contain all information pertaining to the ladders.
7/29/2003
10/30/2003 - modified/simplified and added 3/3 rule
2/14/2005 - modified for the web
3/7/2005 - modified entering results example to the web format
6/14/2005 - minor wording changes
7/12/2005 - added example for partial matches, minor wording changes
8/?/2005 - changed late rule, #11.
10/10/2005 - changed wording for rules links
10/17/2005 Withdrawal wording change
2/24/2006 – added No-Show, Cancellation, Withdrawal, and Forfeits
rules.
6/12/2006 – reworded, added challenge changes, forfeit scoring.
11/18/2008 - modified Rule 9, Forfeit, Challenge, and Penalties sections.
3/9/2009 - changed reporting phrasing.
7/31/09 - added rule #14 about limited availability.
2/19/10 - changed terminology to '...should be determined by players'.
7/31/09 - changed forfeit terminology
7/31/09 - changed withdrawal section to reflect new pages to withdraw from..
7/31/09 - added section about match locations.
7/31/09 - added that challenged players choose site.