Doubles Ladder.
The Doubles Ladder is for those members looking for doubles play with a little more flexibility than the Singles Ladder.
The better you play, the higher on the Ladder you go.
How high can you and your partner climb?!
*Registration opens June 2nd @ 8:00am*
*Ladder begins June 9th and goes until September*
Re-rating Sessions
You need to have a club rating to participate in the ladder events.
If you would like to update your rating, we have dedicated some times for re-rating sessions. Sign up through your HPTC account.
Re-rating dates:
Saturday May 27th @ 11:15am - 1:15pm.
Monday May 29th @ 7pm - 8pm.
Ladders are coed. Ladies and men can form teams in any combination.
Coed Doubles Up to 3.5
Coed Doubles 4.0 and Above
How to sign up
You need to have a rating to participate!
Go to your HPTC account to sign-up.
Go to “Register for Adult Programs” of your club account to sign-up.
If you already have a partner, they must also register:
Please enter your partner’s name under “Additional Information” on the registration confirmation page.
There is no close date for registration. You may join the ladder once you have found a partner. If your team joins the ladder after the star date, it will enter at the bottom.
If you do not have a partner, you will be matched with a player of similar club rating.
Cost
$5 per person
Booking court time
Challengers book the court unless players agree otherwise.
The club's standard Ball Policy is in effect.
Booking a ladder match is exactly like how you would book regular singles play.
If you book your ladder match during prime time hours, you will use your any-time booking token.
If you book your ladder match during non-prime time hours, you will use your non-prime time booking token.
It is your responsibility to manage your booking tokens to make sure that you get to play all your matches.
TennisRungs
New this season, we will use a service called TennisRungs to run the ladders.
Within 24 hours after sign-up, you will receive an email from TennisRungs.com to open an account and create a password. There is no charge to use TennisRungs.com. Please contact info@howardparktennis.com if you do not receive an email.
Your initial username at TennisRungs.com will be the email address associated with your HPTC account. This can be changed once your account is set up. Your name, email address and gender will be shared with TennisRungs in order to administer the ladders.
TennisRungs is where you will issue challenges, enter scores, track matches/rankings and more.
There is also a free mobile app for players. Download for free in the Google Play and Apple App Stores.
Substitutions*
Unlike the singles ladder, we wanted to offer a bit more flexibility in facilitating doubles play.
If one team member cannot play the match, a sub may be used in their place.
The points will be awarded to the originally scheduled players/team.
This is being implemented on an honour basis and we expect teams to try their best to attend matches and not to abuse the system.
How to Play
A team’s start point is selected randomly, but will be based on the team’s combined rating.
You may issue 3 challenge(s) at a time
You can only accept a challenge from one team at any given time. This prevents outstanding challenges from accumulating against you.
You may challenge up to 5 ranking spots above you.
If the challenge is successful, you will take the spot of the team you challenge and your opponents will be bumped down 1 spot.
If you hold a wildcard, you may challenge any team above you.
An additional wildcard will be granted after 5 matches have been played.
By accepting a challenge, you agree to play the challenge within 7 days after the date of acceptance.
If you cannot play within 7 days, simply "Deny" the challenge.
If a challenge is accepted and not played within 7 days, it will expire and the challenge will be deleted from the system and will have to be re-issued. Of course, since rankings continually change, a re-challenge may not be possible.
The top 5 teams in the 3.5 ladder will switch spots with the bottom 5 teams in the 4.0 ladder at the end of each month.
Rules of the ladder may change as we collect player feedback and identify improvements.
*Rules of the ladder may change as we collect player feedback and identify improvements.
Match Rules
Length: Each match is a 60-minute pro-set which is first to win 8 games, by a margin of 2 (e.g. 8 – 6). If the match is tied at 8 – 8, a 7-point tiebreaker is played to a two-point advantage; e.g. 9 – 8 ( 13 – 11).
Warm-up: Keep your warm up time between 5 – 10 minutes.
Lateness:
If an opponent is late by 5 minutes or less, they begin the match down 1 game.
If they are between five to 10 minutes late, they begin the match down 2 games.
If they are over 10 minutes late, a default loss is recorded.
Serves: Each player gets first in, to a maximum of 5 attempts, for their first 2 service points.
Deuces: 1 deuce only. The next deuce is sudden death with the receiver choosing which side to receive the serve.
FAQs
What happens if my opponent doesn’t show up because he/she thought the weather didn’t look favourable or the courts were too wet for play?
If weather is ever in question, both players should call the on-duty Court Manager to get a ruling on if the courts are suitable for play. If a player did not check with the Court Manager and chose not to show up for the match, a default win will be awarded to the player left waiting.
What happens if it begins to rain at the beginning/during match?
Check with the staff to determine if the courts are suitable for play. If they are not, and a minimum of 5 games total have been played then the leading player is considered the winner. If less than 5 games, then agree to the current score, re-book to a mutually agreeable time, and continue the match where you left off.
If the match cannot be completed within 7 days the challenge will expire and the match will be cancelled. In order to play the match, the challenge will have to be issued again though changes in ranking may not make it possible to do so.
What happens if we run out of time?
Whichever player is leading, is the winner. In case of a tie, play a sudden death point.
Still have questions?
Please contact the Programs Director.