Are Your Dual Matches Too Long?

Depending on your conference and state rules, the number of courts you have and the format you are using for your dual matches, you may be faced with matches that regularly last more than four hours. In Texas, where tennis is a co-ed sport in the fall, dual matches consisting of 19 individual matches can last up to six hours!

If your players are allowed to play both doubles and singles, one two or more matches must finish before the next matches begin. If you have four or fewer courts, players must wait their turn to play their matches sometimes two hours after they have initially warmed up and/or the match has started.

This makes tennis matches less than fan friendly, and during the end of a fall season or beginning of a spring season means players may be finishing their matches after dark, or in temperatures 10 degrees or more colder than when the match began.

The USHSTA would like to hear from coaches who’s conference or states have addressed the problem of long matches, and whether the attempts worked or failed, so that we may pass this information on to your fellow coaches in other states. Below are the examples of three state’s attempts to deal with the scheduling for high school dual matches.

Nebraska
According to high school tennis coach Jeff Hoham, Nebraska’s high school tennis teams play six singles and three doubles with the singles played first. Players may play both singles and doubles. Matches consist of best two-out-of-three set. Matches last between two-and-a-half and four hours, depending on how evenly matched the teams are.

Because the state only sets the rules for the state tournament and not individual conferences, individual conferences may set their own rules in terms of match format. In Hoham’s conference, coaches may agree on an eight-game pro set format for a dual match. According to coach Hoham, this has helped coaches shorten matches, but his conference is hesitant to officially switch to an eight-game format because tradition is considered more important than time.

North Carolina
According to coach Richard Alston, most schools in North Carolina play the traditional two consecutive-event format for all interscholastic play. Usually it’s doubles first (often an eight-game pro set) then singles with a best-of-three tiebreak sets format. Players are allowed to play both doubles and singles.

Alston, coach at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics, explains that especially at lower levels of competition, where play is defensive (due to the lack of weapons of the lower-level players), dual matches often last as long as four hours, with 16 players sitting while two players finish a match of attrition.

His discussion with other coaches in his conference has found a consensus that a dual match format needs to be found that brings match times closer to other sports (around two hours). Discussions have included playing four singles matches and two doubles matches concurrently, which would preclude athletes from playing in more than one event. In the event of a three-three match score after the four singles and two doubles had been played, total games would decide the overall match winner. In the event of a tie there, the match would be considered a tie, similar to soccer.

Changing the scoring to no-add has also been suggested to lessen match times.

Texas
In Texas, there are two tennis seasons: a fall, co-ed season and a spring season comprised of individual boys and girls matches. In the fall, co-ed format, the boys play six singles matches and three doubles matches; the girls do likewise. Last year, a mixed doubles match was added, bringing the total number of matches played in a dual match to 19! An individual player may play in both singles and doubles in a team match, but not both doubles and mixed. Or they may play in singles or doubles.

In the spring, a dual match is eight matches (two singles and two doubles for boys, and two of each for girls), and each player plays only singles or doubles. According to Highland Park coach Betty Sue Welch, coaches may agree to play additional matches in the spring, but coaches do not usually count team points in dual matches in the spring. Occasionally a spring tournament will give team trophies, but events are held like USTA tournaments in the spring and players only enter one event.

In the fall, co-ed format, an individual player may play in both singles and doubles in a team match, but not both doubles and mixed. Or they may play in singles or doubles. Tennis is the only co-ed sport in Texas, run by the University Interscholastic League, and Welch says that the kids enjoy it so much she is besieged with requests from players to play the mixed match.

The normal format is to begin all doubles matches first, provided that you have seven courts. When there are only six courts available, the three boys and three girls doubles matches go on first. The mixed would then be the first open court. Then the singles matches follow, starting with the #1’s, then #2’s, and so on.

Sometimes, coaches agree to play the mixed match before one of the #3 doubles matches (if there were only six courts), because a #1 singles player was involved in the mixed.

Based on substitution rules, teams must wait for the #1s to finish their doubles before they are allowed to put on other singles. For example, if singles player #3 is injured after the doubles and can’t play his singles match, his coach would have to move players #4-6 up one spot, and place an alternate at #6. It is common for a close team match to last 4-6 hours, said Welch, depending on the number of courts available

After coaches have exchanged lineups, they often look to make sure (if possible, and if agreeable to both coaches) that all #1 singles players are on in the first wave of doubles play. This can help to avoid a log-jam during the singles. The only other shortcut which is sometimes used is to agree to change the format, such as: a) play two-out-of-three set matches, but 12-point tie-breaks for the third set; or b) play eight-game pro sets for the doubles and full matches for the singles (or vice versa).

Suggestions
Following are suggestions for shortening dual match times and their pros and cons.

Eight-Game Pros Sets
In this format, players play a set, with the first player to reach eight games (rather than six) the winner. A player must win by two games, or in a tie-break. The tie-break may be played at eight-all or at seven-all, depending on whether or not total games will be used as a tie-break in a match with an even number of individual matches. Playing the tie-break at eight-all allows one player to win nine-seven or 10-eight, giving that team one of two extra possible points in the team scoring. The obvious argument against eight-game pro sets is that it does not adequately prepare players for any conference, district, invitational or state tournament which uses a best-of-three-set format.

Tie-breaks used for third sets
In this format, if players split sets, a tie-break is used for the third set. This format is an advantage for less-conditioned players. It may also not adequately prepare players for tournaments which do play traditional matches.Using a match tie-break (first to 10 points), makes this a longer sudden-death, more intense and a win less fluky.

No-ad scoring
Using this format, players play a sudden death point at 40-all with the receiver choosing on which side he or she wishes to receive the point. Another option is to play the sudden-death point after two deuces, rather than at 40-all. The winner of this point wins the game. When the NCAA went to this format, coaches complained that players with big serves held the advantage, and pointed to a surprisingly large number of seeds who get upset at the annual national championships.

Some coaches and players believe that no-ad scoring promotes mental toughness, while others say it promotes luck. Other arguments against no-add scoring include that the system may be different than that used in the conference, district, invitational or state tournaments, and is definitely different from the way USTA matches are played.

Limiting Play
Allowing players to play only singles or doubles allows all matches to be played at the same time (courts allowing), cutting match times in half. This favors teams with more depth, but often requires more players and a larger budget. This also promotes specialization and does not allow players to play an equal amount of doubles and singles. Some players may never get a chance play one if they play the other.

TeamTennis
This format, or variations of it, allow players substitute for one and other, in singles, doubles and mixed. Matches are won by total games won during the dual match. If, at the end of play, the trailing team has won the last game of its first doubles match, it may continue to play that match, adding a point for each game the first doubles team wins from then on, until it loses a game (as soon as it loses a game, the match is over). If the first doubles team ties the match without losing a game, a sudden-death tie-break is then used for the match. Read our article for more about the TeamTennis and Junior Team Tennis formats.