Rules & Guidelines
League Boundaries and Courts
This is a local Ft Hunt-area league - players can live anywhere but must be willing to play in zip codes 22307, 22308 or 22309. See home page for a geographic boundary map of the league. Matches should be played within the league’s bounds unless both players/teams agree to play elsewhere.
With a dozen+ scheduled matches per week, court availability can be an issue. There are 25+ playable public courts in the immediate area. Some players may have access to swim club courts with lights, which is great. Players are urged to be flexible and creative in time and court selection. Note, Fairfax County courts are technically first come, first serve with a 1-hr time limit for singles; 1.5 hrs for doubles when others are waiting. Courts on school grounds may have access restrictions during school hours.
League Ethos and Code of Conduct
This is a friendly, low-stress neighborhood league. No one is playing for money. No one is advancing to regionals. This league is not USTA or GWTA. We are neighbors playing neighbors. This is a local league designed to give local players the opportunity for friendly competition without a lot of muss or fuss. Players should strive to keep it fun and friendly, loose and casual.
Please do not sign up if you don't really want to play or your schedule has zero flexibility to play.
Play is self-regulated and disputes -- hopefully few -- should be worked out by the players. Players should review this succinct summary of Key Rules for Unofficiated Matches provided by the US High School Tennis Association. Further, players may wish to review USTA’s Friend at Court, the book of rules and regulations under which tennis is played in the United States.
General rules of thumb:
When in Doubt, Call it “In.” If a player cannot tell for certain that a ball is out, they must consider the ball good. In doubles, if neither receiving player sees the ball good, the benefit of doubt is given to the opponents.
"Do-overs" are fine. Players should resolve scoring disputes in a game by replaying disputed points. If the set score is in dispute, players should resume play at the score mutually agreed upon.
Match Format
Play best 2 out of 3 sets with no-ad scoring and a third set tie break. At deuce (game point), receiving player/team has the option to receive the serve on the deuce or ad side. Players may mutually agree to play ad scoring.
Play a 12-point tie break (first to 7 by 2) at 6-6 in any set,
A 10-point tie break (first to 10 by 2) is played in the event of a third set.
See procedure for tiebreak scoring here.
Players mutually agree upon amount of warmup time (commonly 5-10min), spin for serve, and first-ball-in or warm up serves.
MatchTime (formerly TennisPoint)
MatchTime.com (formerly tennispoint) is used to manage all aspects of league play and is the primary means of communication from league admins. MatchTime.com allows players to easily see their division's roster with contact info, the suggested schedule of matches, and post and track scores and standings across the league. The platform also allows for players to share their overall match availability and directly message opponents. A mobile app is also available:
Home Team Responsibilities
The schedule will designate one player or team as "Home." The home player/team is responsible for providing a can of new balls for the match.
Home players propose courts for their home matches and it is expected that “away” player(s) will travel to them, provided the proposed courts are within the league boundaries. The “home” player can offer to travel to the “away” player’s preferred location if he/she chooses.
NOTE - All players show a pre-set "home" facility in MatchTime. This is a system requirement, and the information may or may not reflect players' actual preferred home court. When scheduling matches through MatchTime-generated emails, the pre-set home or away facility will show as the match location by default, Players should clarify any discrepancies to avoid confusion.
Scheduling & Communication
The Flex League uses suggested 'play by' dates to encourage players to schedule weekly matches. Matches can be played at any time, in any order, as long as they are completed by the season end date.
Players/Teams should be proactive in scheduling matches. Don't wait. Reach out to opponents early, and try to stay on top of the suggested play-by dates.
Both home and away players are encouraged to make contact and initiate scheduling. Players can set their general match availability in MatchTime to aid in scheduling.
Players are expected to acknowledge opponent’s calls, texts, or emails even when unavailable to play. Unresponsive players/teams risk forfeiting the match, see Defaults, below. If you're leaving town, let your opponents know that you'll contact them when you return.
Once date, time, and location of the match are agreed upon by all players, the match is considered “confirmed.” Players/Teams risk default for cancelling confirmed matches, see Defaults below.
Defaults/Forfeits
Players/teams are strongly encouraged to work out scheduling differences to maximize play. This is a local flex league where we all enjoy the convenience of playing our neighbors in a friendly, low-stress yet competitive environment. While flexibility is key, there is a point at which flexibility becomes frustration. As such, players/teams have the option to take a default win (6-0; 6-0) in the situations outlined below. Defaults should be reported to league administrator. Players with multiple defaults may be withdrawn from current and/or future leagues. Defaults should be input in TennisPoint as "defaulted" for the defaulting player.
If a player becomes unavailable for a confirmed match, it is her obligation to find a substitute, unless both players/teams mutually agree to reschedule. (See also Subs, below.) If a sub cannot be identified and a confirmed match is cancelled within 24 hours, the other team can take a default win.
If a player does not arrive within 15 minutes of the scheduled time, that player will default the match unless the opponent agrees to extend the time or reschedule the match.
Lack of communication is another method by which a player can earn a default. If a player/team tries to contact an opponent three times (via combination of email, phone, text a) and does not receive acknowledgement, the contacting player/team may (1) report the opponents lack of response to the league organizer and (2) take a default win. If the opponent communicates after you’ve taken steps 1 and 2, it is your choice to reinstate the match.
A default win may be awarded when an opposing team is confirmed using a sub whose ability level exceeds that of the division in which they are subbing.
Occasionally opponents are added after the season is underway to take the place of a retired player. Players/Teams have the option to take a default win against an opponent added to the season after the originally scheduled play-by date
Any match where one player or doubles team attempted to schedule a day/time with opponents that remained unplayed at the end of the season may be recorded as a default win by the player/doubles team that attempted to schedule the match.
Subs
Subs are allowed and encouraged, especially to ensure a scheduled/confirmed match is played. Scores are posted as if stated player(s) played.
Any player is eligible to be a sub, regardless of whether or not they're playing in the flex league, provided their ability level matches the division in which they are subbing. Verified use of a sub whose ability level clearly outmatches that of the division in which they are playing may risk default.
Flex singles players are great candidates for doubles subs. Contact information for all flex league players can be found under the People tab in MatchTime.com (noted as "Fun/Tournament" under Teams). Use the Message tab in MatchTime to email several players simultaneously.
Players are also encouraged to join the Alexandria Tennis Enthusiasts Facebook group -- another great source for subs.
League administrator may also provide a list of other potential subs.
Withdrawl
Players who find themselves out long term should notify league organizer.
If a player withdraws in after playing a match, all players in the group will receive a 6-0,6-0 win against the withdrawing player, unless a replacement player is identified. This rule attempts to give credit to players who have already played a withdrawing player without penalizing those players who did not play the withdrawing player. The administrator will attempt to replace a player who withdraws with a substitute for the remainder of the season.
Rain Outs/Incomplete Matches
If a match is rained out or otherwise incomplete, it should be rescheduled and completed before the season end date. Scores of incomplete matches should be recorded in MatchTime as-is while awaiting rescheduling --- winner is player/team with most games won. If tied in games, winner of the first set is determined winner of the match. If match cannot be rescheduled and played to completion by season end date, posted scores stand.
Match Scoring and Reporting
Match scores should be posted directly into MatchTime usually by the winning team, though either team may do so. Note, mobile app can be glitchy, so post scores online via MT website if you run into trouble with the app
NOTE: Third set tiebreaks should be scored as 1-0: 1 for the winning team and a zero for the losing team.
Defaults should be input in MatchTime as "defaulted" for the defaulting player. Winners may claim 2 points for the win; the defaulting player should claim zero.
Disputes and corrections should be worked out between players/teams. All regular season matches should be completed and scores submitted by season end date.
Standings / Division Scoring
This league is for fun but we are indeed keeping track of wins and losses. Points are awarded for each match won (3pts) and each match played (1pt). Players/Teams with most points will be crowned champions. Some divisions may require a playoff.
Winners will be determined by the standings on the last day of regular season play based on total points accumulated. In the event of a tie, head to head competition will determine the winner followed by % of games won.