Challenge Ladder Rules

1. General Challenge Rules

Participants may challenge any player positioned up to 6 spots higher or up to 4 spots lower on the ladder.
To initiate a challenge, a player must do the following:
a. Click on the “My Dashboard” section of the Challenge page.
b. Select the player to challenge in the “Create a Challenge” section. Only those players eligible to challenge will appear.
c. Click the “Send Challenge” button, which will automatically send an email to the other player. Then, call, email, or text the player to set up the match time, date, and location.
d. The challenged player then must go to their Dashboard to accept the challenge by clicking on the “Accept” button. If the challenged player does not accept the challenge within 14 days, it will automatically be a default in favor of the challenger.
Players may not have more than two matches scheduled at one time.
If a player wishes to challenge someone who already has two matches scheduled, the challenger should ask the other player to be notified when one of their matches has been completed.
Two players may not challenge each other again (in either direction) more than once per week, or until one of the two players has played another opponent, whichever comes first.
Matches played for any other purpose (such as a singles league match) may not count toward the ladder.

Matches may be played outdoors or indoors if both players agree.
Participants who are challenged must accept the challenge (both verbally and by clicking on the “Accept” button in their Challenge Dashboard) and agree upon a date, time, and location within two weeks.
Players should confirm the agreed-upon location, date, and time the day before the match to avoid confusion.
If the challenged player cannot complete the match within the 2-week period, the challenger may notify the Ladder Director and will be awarded a default win.

If playing indoors, players will split court fees and any guest fees equally.
Players should try to minimize total costs and choose clubs without guest fees when possible.
If one player is a club member and the other must pay a guest fee, the guest fee should still be split equally.

A player arriving more than 10 minutes late will forfeit 1 game for every additional 5 minutes late.

Players should cancel at least 24 hours in advance whenever possible and must provide at least 4 hours notice.
If canceling on the day of the match, the canceling player must:
a. CALL the other player, and
b. receive confirmation that the message was received.
Text or email alone is not sufficient.
If a player cancels within 4 hours of the match, the opponent receives a default win.
If court costs were incurred and cannot be recovered, the canceling player is responsible for the full court cost.

Unless both players agree otherwise in advance, matches are best 2 out of 3 sets using standard ad scoring.
Standard tiebreaks are played at 6-6. Tiebreaks are first to 7 points, win by 2.

Players may agree in advance to use:
a. 3rd-set super tiebreak
b. no-ad scoring
c. one-ad scoring
d. 8-game pro set
e. 10-game pro set

There is no official match time limit.
If players cannot finish due to weather, darkness, or court availability, they should reschedule and continue the match later.
Players may also agree beforehand that the player with the most total games at the end of available court time (90 minutes or longer) will be declared the winner.
If time expires during a deciding game:
a. players should finish the game if possible;
b. if unable to finish, the game is awarded to the player currently ahead;
c. if the game score is tied, the match is considered a tie.
If the total number of games is tied, both players receive 1 point and retain their current ladder positions.

Either player must record their result on the site within 24 hours. The ladder will automatically update player positions and point totals immediately.
If a score has been incorrectly recorded, either player should email the Ladder Director as soon as possible so it can be corrected.

If a lower-ranked player defeats a higher-ranked player, the winner immediately assumes the higher-ranked player’s position.
If a player wins a challenge and the opponent’s ranking changed between the time the challenge was issued and the time the match was played, the winning player assumes the opponent’s current ladder position at the time of the match.

Players may designate a leave of absence of up to 3 weeks for injury, work, or vacation.
Leaves of Absences are created from the player’s dashboard. Players can either select “On Leave”, meaning they are already unavailable, or “Upcoming Leave”, where they can specify start and end dates (so they can still be challenged until the start date of the Leave).
Players on leave keep their ladder position and may not be challenged.
If a leave exceeds 3 weeks, the player may remain in the ladder system but must re-enter at:
a. position 11,
b. position 21, or
c. position 31,
similar to new players.