College Tennis Rules
Scoring
The first team to collect four points wins the dual match. Doubles play will start with the team winning two of the three matches taking a single point. All six singles matches will be a single point, with a maximum score of seven.
Doubles and Singles
All three doubles matches happen simultaneously, and the first team to win two out of the three matches takes a single point, called the doubles point. If the third match is still going on after a team wins the doubles point, that match is usually stopped and left unfinished.
Doubles matches are played in a single-set format up to six games. If the pairs tie at 5-5, the first team to get seven games wins. If they tie at 6-6, the teams will play a tiebreak to seven points and the winner takes the match.Â
After the doubles point is over, one of the teams will be leading the overall score by 1-0. During the break, coaches determine the six singles players, in order, that will play and submit to the officials.
The six singles matches will all occur simultaneously. Each singles match counts as one point for the overall score, and the first team to reach four points wins the overall match.
Singles are played in a two-out-of-three format. The first player to win two sets wins the match, and the players normally play three sets to six with a tiebreak at 6-6. The third set may be a 10-point tiebreaker if the match heads to a third set after the outcome of the team match has been determined.
In order to win a college match, a team needs to win either two doubles and three singles matches or four singles matches.
No Ad Scoring
Matches are played in a no-ad format -- which means that when the game score reaches 40-40, the receiving team decides which player will return the serve. The winner of the point at 40-40 wins the whole game.
Play Out vs. Clinch
If a team reaches four points and wins the match, the coaches may choose to either continue or stop the remaining matches.
