League Rules

1. Tennis Balls/Schedules: The league provides balls for all matches. Schedules and rosters are emailed to all participants by the league coordinator. Balls and schedules packets (if needed), can be picked up at the F-V Parks and Recreation Community Center usually the Saturday prior to the start of league play. You will receive 5 cans of balls; 4 for each home team match, and 1 for the end-of-season tournament.

2. Use of Courts: During the season, the league reserves up to 3 courts at the Action Park facility at any one time for scheduled matches. The fourth court is unreserved and is available to anyone wanting to play. The right to a reserved court is forfeited if you fail to claim the court within 15 minutes of your scheduled match time. Please be courteous and flexible if a court is not immediately available at your scheduled time.

3. Service order: The opponent listed first on the schedule is “home”, provides the balls and has the choice of serving or receiving to begin the match. If the home opponent elects to serve, the opponent listed second on the schedule may choose from which end to play. Alternatively, if the home opponent chooses from which end to play, the opponent listed second on the schedule chooses whether to serve or receive.
4. Game Scoring: Opponents will play by standard USTA rules. An opponent will win using the ad concept.
5. Changing Ends: Players change after every odd game.
6. Set Scoring: A set consists of an opponent winning at least six games, being ahead by two. If the game count of 6-6 is reached, a 12-point tiebreaker will be played (see item 10 for how to score tie-breakers).
7. Match Scoring: Match winner is the player/team who wins two out of three sets.
8. Reporting Scores: After each match, the home team is responsible for reporting the match results to the league coordinator within 2 days of the match play date. Unreported scores will result in zeroes for the home team. Your promptness on reporting scores will enable us to keep the posted standings current and save us from having to make a lot of phone calls.
9. Default Rule: If an opponent does not show up on time for the match, there will be a 15-minute default time. Additionally, if an opponent does not make a scheduled or rescheduled match, he or she will have forfeited the match. The other opponent will be considered the match winner, with set scores of 6-0, 6-0. If a match needs to be rescheduled, it should be played before the next regularly scheduled match.
10. Tiebreaker: Tiebreakers are used when the score in a set reaches 6-6. The first opponent to win 7 points, with a 2-point margin, wins the tiebreaker and thus the set. Service order follows the same sequence as during the set; the opponent due to serve next serves for one point from the deuce court. Thereafter, each opponent serves two points. Service is delivered alternately from the ad and deuce courts. If someone serves from the wrong court, the error has to be corrected at once, but all points played stand. Players change ends after each six points played. At the end of the tiebreak, players change ends once more. The person or team who serves the first point of the tie breaker will be the receiver in the first game of the next set.
11. Substitutes: Since this is a recreational league, every effort should be made to play, rather than forfeit, a match. Substitutes are permitted during the regular season in order to get matches played. Since the tournament is based on regular season play, NO substitutes will be allowed during the tournament unless ALL of the following apply:

12. A player was unable to participate in match play during the season due to an injury, sickness or other reasons approved by the coordinators of the league.

13. Their partner finds a substitute that is not already playing within the same league.
14. As a team they conclude the season together.
15. They played at least ½ of the scheduled matches as a team.

Tournament Rules

Rules during the regular season will be used with the exceptions listed below:

• Teams will be notified of the tournament schedule the weekend prior to the first scheduled tournament match.
• No Substitutes unless all conditions within the Substitute section above apply.
• All teams will be furnished one (1) can of balls. Each team will bring their can to the match.
• Higher seed is the HOME team and opens their can of balls.
• Winning team gets the un-opened can of balls.
• Winning team reports the match results (as soon after the match as possible).
• Tournament matches MUST be played on the scheduled date if at all possible. In the event of bad weather, the match will be rescheduled for the following day. If bad weather prevents play for several days, the next round of the tournament may be pushed back as needed.