WTA Ladder Rules  

1. General

A. The tennis ladders organized by the Westfield Tennis Association (WTA) are intended to encourage tennis participation in Westfield and to provide an organized and enjoyable way for tennis players to meet a wide variety of challenging opponents.
B. The WTA currently offers the following ladders: Men's, Women's, Masters Men's, Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles. Any ladder may be organized into two divisions.
C. All participants in WTA adult ladders must be high school age (entering 9th grade of high school by September of the ladder year) or older. Participants in the Master Men's ladders must be at least 50 years old on April 30 of the year they participate in the ladder. Those eligible for both singles ladders may play in both, but results of a given match will apply to only one. All players participating in WTA ladders must be residents of Westfield and have valid Westfield tennis permits.
D. Initial standings in each ladder will be based on the previous years relative final standings. New players or teams will be placed at the bottom of the standings at random.
E. Each ladder will consist of two parts: a challenge round and the play-offs. Final ladder standings will be based on the results of the play-offs. The challenge round (regular ladder matches) runs from May 1 through Labor Day. The play-offs will be held immediately following Labor Day.
F. Ladder Standings will be published in the Westfield Leader every other week beginning in May through July and weekly during August based on matches reported by 8:00 p.m. the Sunday preceding publication. The reporting periods are set forth separately in the membership directory. The additional weekly publication of the Ladder Standings is solely for informational purposes and should not be misinterpreted as reporting periods, discussed in Active Participation below.
G. Any questions regarding ladder rules should be referred to the appropriate ladder coordinator. Rulings by the ladder coordinator may be appealed to the ladder chairperson whose decision will be final.

2. Active Participation

A. Singles players and doubles teams must play at least one match during each reporting period. Any participants not meeting this requirement will automatically be dropped three positions in the standings.
B. The winner of a match must report the results to the appropriate ladder coordinator (or alternate) within three days of the match even if the result does not change the standings. In order to be counted in a given reporting period, the coordinator must receive the results no later than 8:00 p.m. on the last day of the reporting period. Do not leave scores with baby sitters or small children.
C. In order to be eligible for the ladder play-offs and for ladder awards, players or teams must have played at least eight regular ladder matches.
D. If a player had not played a match by midnight July 4, that player or team will be dropped to the bottom of the ladder standings. The player's or team's name will not appear in the Westfield Leader until a match has been played.

3. Challenge Matches

A. Everyone on the ladder will be allowed two free challenges to "find their level." Players or teams joining the ladder at the start of the season must take their free challenges before June 1. Participants joining the ladder later must take their free challenges within one month of the date they joined. Players who lose their first free challenge must challenge a lower-ranked player with their second free challenge.
B. Except for free challenges, players may challenge anyone up to eight positions higher on the ladder. If the lower ranked player wins, that player takes the loser's position and everyone in between drops one position. Players may challenge lower ranked players, if desired (e.g., to avoid being dropped in the standings due to inactivity).
C. A legally challenged player or team must respond to a challenge within 3 days. At that time players must schedule a match within 14 days. Players are not required to play more than two matches per ladder in each reporting period: this is the ONLY valid reason for not accepting a challenge. If a challenge is not accepted, the player who declines the challenge takes the challenger's position and everyone in between moves up one position. Challengers should report declined challenges (or players who cannot be reached for challenges) to the appropriate ladder coordinator.

4. Match Rules

A. *** NEW *** A ladder match (in both challenge and play-off rounds with the exception of the finals) will consist of one 8-game set. The first player or team to win eight games, using deuce-ad scoring, wins the match. If the score reaches 7-7, a 12-point tie-breaker will be played to determine the winner. See section 6.
B. A player or team not present within ten minutes of the scheduled start of the match automatically forfeits the match. If a match must be cancelled, opponents should be given 24 hours notice; you must give at least two hours notice. If a match is interrupted by weather. If a match is interrupted by weather or expiration of court time, the match could be completed later, if possible. If a match cannot be completed, and if both players agree, a part-score can be reported for the match record to enable the players to remain active.
C. The challenger (the lower ranked player or team when the match is arranged) provides yellow tennis balls for the match. Tennis balls must be from an unopened can.
D. The challenger may choose to serve or receive the first game. The warm-up period before the match should not exceed ten minutes.
E. The server must announce the score before each serve. The serve is presumed good unless the receiver, or his/her partner, calls a fault. If the server fails to continue play, thinking that a good serve was a fault, the opponent wins the point.
F. Players call the lines on their side of the net. When in doubt, the ball is presumed good. In doubles, the partner with the best visual angle should make the call; if there is a disagreement, favor the opponent. If the ball hits any part of the line it should be considered "in."
G. If a player is on court and catches or is hit by an opponent's serve or ball in play, the opponent wins the point. This is true even if the ball would be clearly out or a fault - let it bounce.
H. If there is any obvious distraction during play (a ball entering the court, people crossing the court, etc.), a player may call a "let" and replay the point. If the server is interrupted and the interruption was not the fault of the server or his/her partner, the server may "take two."
I. Unless both players agree otherwise, matches will be played on one of the Westfield public tennis courts. In the case of a disagreement, the challenger will have the final choice of court for the match.

5. The Play-offs

A. At the end of the challenge round, the top eight eligible players or teams (See 2 C above) in each ladder will be assigned playoff positions 1-8 based on the ladder standings. These players will then hold a series of play-off matches to determine the final standings. A sixteen player draw will be used for the men's and women's singles playoff tournaments. The ladder coordinators of the other divisions will use their discretion, depending on participation, whether an eight or sixteen player/team playoff format will be used.

16 Players Format
Round 1 A: 1v16 B: 8v9 C: 5v12 D: 4v13
E: 3v14 F: 6v11 G: 7v10 H: 2v15
Quarter finaI: I: AvB J: CvD K: EvF L: GvH
Semi-final M: IvJ N: KvL
Final O: MvN Played on Sep 29

8 Players Format
Quarter finaI: A: 1v8 B: 4v5 C: 3v6 D: 2v7
Semi-final E: AvB F: CvD
Final G: EvF Played on Sep 29

B. The winner and loser of the final play-off match will be the ladder or division winner and runner-up, respectively. The semi-final losers will be assigned position 3 or 4 based on their original relative standings at the start of the play-offs. The losers of the quarter finals will similarly be assigned positions 5 through 8.
C. If there are more than sixteen qualifiers, additional play-offs may be played at the option of the ladder coordinator.
D. If there are three or fewer qualifiers (individuals or teams), no play-offs will be held.
E. Play-off matches will be played using standard ladder match rules. In order to insure timely completion, play-off match results should be reported to the ladder coordinator the day the match is played. In play-off matches, the challenger will be the player or team with the lower pre-play-off standing.
F. Each player or team must play at least one play-off match per week or face default. Players who anticipate difficulty in scheduling must notify the ladder coordinator.
G. ***New*** In the final round the player or team who wins 2 of 3 6-game sets is the winner of the match. If the score reaches 6-6 in any set a 12-point tie-break will be used to decide the winner of the set.

USTA Tie-break Rules

Singles
i. A player who first wins seven points shall win the game and the set provided he leads by a margin of two points. If the score reaches six points all the game shall be extended until this margin has been achieved. Numerical scoring shall be used throughout the tie-break game.
ii. The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the Server for the first point. His opponent shall be the Server for the second and third points and thereafter each player shall serve alternately for two consecutive points until the winner of the game and set has been decided.
iii. From the first point, each service shall be delivered alternately from the right and left Courts, beginning from the right Court. If service from a wrong half of the Court occurs and is undetected, all play resulting from such wrong service or services shall stand, but the inaccuracy of station shall be corrected immediately it is discovered.
iv. Players shall change ends after every six points and at the conclusion of the tie-break game.
v. The tie-break game shall count as one game for the ball change, except that, if the balls are due to be changed at the beginning of the tie-break, the change shall be delayed until the second game of the following set.

Doubles
In doubles the procedure for singles shall apply. The player whose turn it is to serve shall be the Server for the first point. Thereafter each player shall serve in rotation for two points, in the same order previously in that set, until the winners of the game and set have been decided.

Rotation of Service
The player (or pair in the case of doubles) whose turn it was to serve first in the tie-break game shall receive service in the first game of the following set.