Rules for all tournaments

1.   Following the closing date for entries, the committee will arrange a draw for the tournaments and will set deadline dates for each round. Details will then be circulated to all competitors and published on the club web site.

2. Competitors must arrange their own playing times within the specified deadlines.

Don't wait for your opponent to get in touch with you. Make contact as soon as possible, to ensure there is sufficient time to arrange the match before the deadline.

3.  If you are to be on holiday within the four weeks leading up to a deadline, you must contact your opponent(s) before you go on holiday and agree on at least two potential dates for playing your match within the deadline.

4.   If no mutually agreeable time can be arranged to play the match, then the competitors involved should contact the President who will organise a 'coin toss' to determine who goes through to the next round.

5. If match has not been played by the stated deadline and players have not contacted the President, then, by default, a 'coin toss' will be organised to determine who goes through to the next round.

6.   All matches will be played to the best of three sets. If any set reaches 6-all, then that set will be decided by playing a tie-break. 

7.   The Finals will be played on first or second weekend in September.

8. Umpires for matches are optional.  Any disputes, in a non-umpired match, should be settled by playing a let.

9. Results, including the scores, should be sent in by e-mail to info@portlethentennisclub.org.uk

Gents and Ladies Doubles

Players enter the doubles competitions as individuals. Following the closing date for entries, the committee will arrange a draw to determine the pairings. The committee will decide on the format for the gents and ladies doubles (round robin or knockout), based on the number of entrants. Details will then be circulated to competitors along with a deadline date by which matches have to be played.

Round Robin format

1. In this format, each couple plays a match against every other couple.

2. Players must arrange their own matches within the deadline date specified in the information circulated to competitors. Any match not played within this deadline will not not count towards the final scores.

3. All matches will be played to the best of three sets.  If any set reaches 6-all, then that set will be decided by playing a tie-break. 

4. The winner of a match will score 3 points and the loser will score 1 point.

5. Following the deadline date, each couple's scores will be added up and the couple with the highest total score will be the champions.

6. If there is a tie for first place, then the number of sets won and lost will be used to decide the winners. If there is still a tie once sets have been counted, then the committee will arrange a play-off to determine the winners.

Knockout format

In this format, the competition is made up of a sequence of rounds, culminating in a final. In each round, only the winners progress to the next round.

Mixed Doubles

1. Players enter the mixed doubles competition as individuals. If there is an uneven number of entrants (e.g. more men than ladies), the committee may opt to do a draw to randomly select an equal number of men and ladies who will be eligible to play. Those people who are not selected by the draw will be given priority in the following year's draw.

2. A second draw will then be conducted to determine the pairings of men with ladies.

3. Once the couples have been selected, a draw for a knock-out tournament will be performed.

Juniors

Junior tournaments will be played either in knock-out tournament or round robin format, depending on the number of entrants. All matches will be played to the best of three sets.  If any set reaches 6-all, then that set will be decided by playing a tie-break.