Regular Tournament Format Rules:

MATCH: Each match will be the best of three sets. "Ad" system (conventional) of scoring will be used in all matches (love-15-30-40-game). The third set will be a “sudden death” tie breaker as opposed to a full set (see tie breaker information below).

NEW CAN OF BALLS: Each match will begin with a new (unopened) can of tennis balls. The winning team keeps the balls used during the match.

MATCH TIME: Each match has a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes. A ten minute warm-up period will be allowed. Time will be called 15 minutes prior to time allotment. At that point, players will finish the game they are on and the person who is ahead by two games will be declared the winner of that set. If, at that point, one team is ahead by one game, they will continue. After the next game, a winner is declared or a “sudden death” tie breaker is played to break a tie. All third sets will be played as a “sudden death” tie breaker.

HONOR SYSTEM: The match shall be self officiated and proper tennis etiquette will be observed.

DEFAULT: If a player(s) fails to appear later than 15 minutes after official match start time, a default will be called. The player(s) who do not appear will automatically lose 6-0, 6-0.

SERVICE: The choice of first service and courts should be decided with a racket spin. The team that wins the spin can serve first or choose the side of court they want to start. The other team has the remaining choice. Teams should change courts after every odd game. The order of serving shall be decided at the beginning of each set. It is not required that the order of service, as between partners, carry over from one set to the next. Each team is allowed to decide which partner shall serve first for it in each set.

RECEIVING SERVE: The pair who has to receive the service in the first game shall decide which partner shall receive the first service, and that partner shall continue to receive the first service in every odd game throughout the set. The opposing pair shall have the same choice when they receive service. At the beginning of each set, both teams have the option to change their receiving formation.

TIE BREAKER (at 6-6, Time, 3rd Set): A tie breaker shall be used which will be "5 out of 9 points" sudden death. If it is A-1's turn to serve the 13th game (at six all), she shall serve points one and two, first the deuce or right court then the ad or left court. Player B-2, the person who has served from that side of the court that the B team is on, serves points three and four, right and left court. The teams change sides of the court and A-2 serves points five and six; then B-1 serves points seven and eight. If the score reaches four points all, player B-1 serves the ninth point to the court that the receiving team A selects. Each player shall serve from the same end of the court in the tie breaking game that she has served from during that particular set. This operates to alter the sequence of serving by the partners on the second serving team. The team (B) serving last in the tie breaker shall serve first in the following set, thus assuring that they will serve first if the next set goes to a tie-breaker. The players shall start the next set in the same court that they finished the tie-breaker.

FINAL TOURNAMENT FORMAT RULES

MATCH: Each match will an eight game pro-set. "Ad" system (conventional) of scoring will be used in all matches (love-15-30-40-game). A “sudden death” tie breaker will be played at seven games all (see tie breaker information below).

NEW CAN OF BALLS: Each match will begin with a new (unopened) can of tennis balls. The winning team keeps the balls used during the match.

MATCH TIME: Each match has a time limit of 1 hour and 15 minutes. A ten minute warm-up period will be allowed prior to the first match. Time will be called 15 minutes prior to time allotment. At that point, players will finish the game they are on and the person who is ahead by two games will be declared the winner of that set. If, at that point, one team is ahead by one game, they will continue. After the next game, a winner is declared or a “sudden death” tie breaker is played to break a tie.

HONOR SYSTEM: The match shall be self officiated and proper tennis etiquette will be observed.

DEFAULT: If a player(s) fails to appear later than 15 minutes after official match start time, a default will be called. The player(s) who do not appear will automatically lose 8-0.

SERVICE: The choice of first service and courts should be decided with a racket spin. The team that wins the spin can serve first or choose the side of court they want to start. The other team has the remaining choice. Teams should change courts after every odd game. The order of serving shall be decided at the beginning of each set. It is not required that the order of service, as between partners, carry over from one set to the next. Each team is allowed to decide which partner shall serve first for it in each set.

RECEIVING SERVE: The pair who has to receive the service in the first game shall decide which partner shall receive the first service, and that partner shall continue to receive the first service in every odd game throughout the set. The opposing pair shall have the same choice when they receive service. At the beginning of each set, both teams have the option to change their receiving formation.

TIE BREAKER (at 7-7): A tie breaker shall be used which will be "5 out of 9 points" sudden death. If it is A-1's turn to serve the 13th game (at six all), she shall serve points one and two, first the deuce or right court then the ad or left court. Player B-2, the person who has served from that side of the court that the B team is on, serves points three and four, right and left court. The teams change sides of the court and A-2 serves points five and six; then B-1 serves points seven and eight. If the score reaches four points all, player B-1 serves the ninth point to the court that the receiving team A selects. Each player shall serve from the same end of the court in the tie breaking game that she has served from during that particular set. This operates to alter the sequence of serving by the partners on the second serving team.

GENERAL RULES & ETIQUETTE

• If you have any doubts as to whether a ball is out or good, you must give your opponent the benefit of the doubt and play the ball as good. You should not play a let.

• It is your obligation to call all balls on your side to help your opponent make calls when the opponent requests it -- and to call against yourself (with the exception of a first service) any ball that you clearly see out on your opponent’s side of the net.

• Any “out” or “let” must be made instantaneously (i.e. made before either an opponent has hit the return or the return has gone out of play) otherwise, the ball continues in play.

• Do not enlist the aid of spectators in making line calls.

• If you call a ball out and then realize it was good, you should correct your call.

• To avoid controversy over the score, the Server should announce the set score (e.g. 5-4) before starting a game and the game score (e.g. thirty-forty) prior to serving each point.

• If players cannot agree on the score, they may go back to the last score on which there was agreement and resume play from that point or they may spin a racket.

• Do not stall, sulk, complain, or practice poor gamesmanship.

• Wait until the players on another court have completed a point before retrieving or returning a ball.