TENNIS TOURNAMENT RULES — LEAGUE 3 (SINGLE-DAY)

1. Tournament Format

1. The tournament is held in a single day in a group stage (round-robin) format followed by a single-elimination playoff.
2. Base configuration: 24 players, 4 groups of 6.
3. When the number of players is 25–30, the expanded format applies (see section 13).
4. Group stage match format: one short set to 4 games.
5. Playoff match format: best of two short sets to 4 games. In the event of a 1:1 set tie — a super tie-break to 10 points with a 2-point margin.
6. Short set rules (4 games):
   • Play uses deuces / advantage scoring — the no-ad / sudden-death rule is not used.
   • A set is won with a 2-game margin (4-0, 4-1, 4-2; at 3-3 play continues until 5-3).
   • At 4-4 a tie-break to 7 points with a 2-point margin is played.
7. Initial seeding and distribution into groups:
   • The Raketo platform rating as of the tournament start date is used.
   • Players are distributed into groups using the serpentine method to balance the average ratings of the groups.
   • Example for 24 players and 4 groups (A, B, C, D): seed 1→A, 2→B, 3→C, 4→D, 5→D, 6→C, 7→B, 8→A, 9→A, 10→B, 11→C, 12→D, 13→D, 14→C, 15→B, 16→A, 17→A, 18→B, 19→C, 20→D, 21→D, 22→C, 23→B, 24→A.
   • Players without a Raketo rating are assessed by the organizer through a questionnaire and placed at the bottom of the seeding.
   • IMPORTANT: The Raketo rating is used ONLY for the initial distribution into groups. Final standings are determined solely by match results.

2. Schedule and Timing

1. The tournament takes place in a single day within a single time window (approximately 9:00–19:00).
2. Registration and payment — no later than 48 hours before the start of the tournament.
3. Assembly and group announcement — 30 minutes before the first match.
4. Group stage: 5 rounds within each group (approximately 9:30–14:30).
5. Lunch break: 30–45 minutes.
6. Playoff: quarterfinals, semifinals, final, and third-place match (approximately 15:00–19:00).
7. Court assignment:
   • Courts are assigned by the organizer as they become available.
   • Players must be ready to take the court 10 minutes before the announced time.
   • Within a group, matches are played in the order of the standard round-robin schedule (see section 3).
8. Late arrival: if a player has not taken the court within 15 minutes of the opponent and court being ready — technical defeat.
9. Withdrawal during the tournament: all future matches of the withdrawn player are recorded as technical defeats 0:4. Past results remain in force.

3. Match Schedule for a Group of 6 Players

Standard round-robin schedule (numbers 1–6 correspond to seeding positions within the group):

• Round 1: 1 vs 6 · 2 vs 5 · 3 vs 4
• Round 2: 1 vs 5 · 6 vs 4 · 2 vs 3
• Round 3: 1 vs 4 · 5 vs 3 · 6 vs 2
• Round 4: 1 vs 3 · 4 vs 2 · 5 vs 6
• Round 5: 1 vs 2 · 3 vs 6 · 4 vs 5

Each player plays 5 matches in the group stage. There is a minimum of 20 minutes of rest between matches for any given player.

For a group of 5 players (in the 25–30 player format) — 4 rounds, with one player having a bye each round.

4. Playoff System

1. 8 players advance to the playoff — the top 2 from each group (with 4 groups).
2. Qualification from the group follows these criteria (in order of priority):
   • Criterion 1: Number of wins
   • Criterion 2: Head-to-head result (if exactly 2 players are tied on wins)
   • Criterion 3: Mini-table (if 3 or more players are tied on wins)
   • Criterion 4: Game difference (games won minus games lost) across all group matches
   • Criterion 5: Total games won (absolute value)
   • Criterion 6: Result in the last round (most recent form)
   • Criterion 7: Draw (conducted publicly by the organizer)
3. Playoff bracket (cross-group, to avoid rematches):
   • Quarterfinals:
     • QF1: A1 vs D2 (1st place Group A vs 2nd place Group D)
     • QF2: B1 vs C2
     • QF3: C1 vs B2
     • QF4: D1 vs A2
   • Semifinals:
     • SF1: Winner QF1 vs Winner QF4
     • SF2: Winner QF2 vs Winner QF3
   • Final: Winner SF1 vs Winner SF2
   • Third-place match: Loser SF1 vs Loser SF2
4. Format of all playoff matches: best of two short sets to 4 games with a super tie-break to 10 points at 1:1.

5. Venue

1. All tournament matches are played at a single venue with a minimum of 5–6 courts depending on the number of players.
2. Uniform surface for all courts (hard or clay) — mixing surfaces is not permitted.
3. All courts must be booked by the organizer for the full playing day in advance.
4. The venue must have a rest area for players, drinking water, and access to restrooms.

6. Registration and Payment

1. Registration opens 2–3 weeks before the tournament.
2. The final list of players is confirmed no later than 48 hours before the start.
3. Entry fee — fixed (40–50 euros per player), includes:
   • Court rental for the full day
   • Balls for all matches
   • Prize fund (at the organizer’s discretion)
   • Water and light refreshments
4. Payment is made in advance (bank transfer or cash upon confirmation).
5. Refund policy:
   • Withdrawal more than 72 hours before the tournament — full refund.
   • Withdrawal 48–72 hours before — at the organizer’s discretion (depending on the possibility of finding a replacement).
   • Withdrawal less than 48 hours before — no refund.

7. Recording Results

1. The results of each match are recorded by the organizer immediately after it concludes (on a paper or electronic scoresheet).
2. All matches are also entered into the Raketo platform in coordination with the players.

8. Serving and Changeover Rules

1. A tie-break begins with serve into the first service box.
2. Serve alternates every game in accordance with standard rules.
3. In a new set (in the playoff) the next player in the serving order serves first.
4. Let rule on serve (net cord) — serve is replayed.
5. Foot fault — counts as a fault on serve.

9. Playing Rules

1. Play is conducted in a gentlemanly spirit:
   • Outs, faults, and disputed points are resolved by mutual agreement.
   • Replaying a point by mutual agreement is permitted.
2. If a player fails to appear within 15 minutes of the opponent and court being ready — technical win 4:0 to the present player.
3. All players are required to follow the organizer’s instructions regarding taking the court and time management.

10. Breaks and Rest

1. In a group stage match (one set): a changeover break is permitted after a change of ends (odd game), duration — no more than 90 seconds.
2. In a playoff match (best of two sets): standard breaks between sets (up to 2 minutes) and after odd games within a set (up to 90 seconds).
3. Between matches for any given player in the group — minimum 20 minutes. The organizer draws up the schedule with this in mind.
4. Restroom and other personal breaks are permitted within the bounds of gentlemanly conduct and common sense.

11. Weather Conditions

1. In the event of bad weather the organizer will attempt to move matches to indoor courts (if available).
2. If the tournament cannot be completed during the day:
   • If the group stage has been completed — the playoff is postponed to a reserve day (announced in advance).
   • If the group stage has not been completed — the entire tournament is postponed. Matches already played may be counted or annulled at the organizer’s discretion.
3. The specific decision is made by the organizer; no protest procedure is provided.

12. Group Stage Points System

IMPORTANT: All played group stage matches have a winner thanks to the tie-break at 4-4. A draw on score is not possible.

1. Match win — 1 point
2. Defeat — 0 points
3. Administrative draw 0:0 — 0.5 points each
   • Arises only if the match was not played for objective reasons (weather, force majeure) and cannot be replayed on that day.
   • Counted as 0:0 in the game difference calculation.
4. Technical defeat (no-show, late arrival >15 minutes) — 0 points, opponent receives 1 point (recorded as a 4:0 win).

13. Format for 25–30 Players

When the number of players is 25–30, the expanded format applies.

13.1 Group Assignment

1. 5 groups of approximately equal size (5 or 6 players each) are formed using the serpentine method based on the Raketo rating.
2. Distribution by number of players:
   • 25 → 5 groups of 5
   • 26 → 4 groups of 5 + 1 group of 6
   • 27 → 3 groups of 5 + 2 groups of 6
   • 28 → 2 groups of 5 + 3 groups of 6
   • 29 → 1 group of 5 + 4 groups of 6
   • 30 → 5 groups of 6

13.2 Group Stage

1. Within each group — round-robin. Each player plays all others in their group.
2. Number of matches per player: 4 (in a group of 5) or 5 (in a group of 6).
3. Players from different groups do not play each other in the group stage.

13.3 Playoff Qualification (8 players)

• Top 1 from each group (5 players) qualify automatically.
• +3 best second-place finishers across all groups (by the qualification criteria in section 4.2) fill out the remaining 3 spots to reach 8.

13.4 Playoff Seeding

Positions 1–5 — group winners from groups A–E (where groups are tied on points, the criteria in section 4.2 apply). Positions 6–8 — the three best second-place finishers.

Quarterfinal bracket:

• QF1: 1st place (winner of the strongest group) vs 8th place
• QF2: 2nd place vs 7th place
• QF3: 3rd place vs 6th place
• QF4: 4th place vs 5th place

Then — semifinals, final, and third-place match following the standard scheme (see section 4.3).

NOTE: About the Round-Robin Format

Round-robin is a format in which each player within their group plays every other player in the group exactly once.

Advantages:

• All players are guaranteed to play the same number of matches.
• The outcome does not depend on a single “unfortunate” first-round encounter.
• Fair determination of the strongest players in each group.

Comparison with other leagues:

• League 1 — mini-league with no playoff.
• League 2 — Swiss system + playoff (5 rounds over weekly intervals).
• League 3 — round-robin in groups + playoff (single day).