Player League Agreement

Doubles

Match Day Protocol

• All league matches are scheduled for Saturdays unless otherwise approved by the league organizer.
• Check in with the league organizer upon arrival.
• Matches are “followed by” — start times are approximate based on court availability.
• Only a 5-minute warm-up is allowed once the match is assigned to a court.
• Both teams must rake the court after their match.
• The winning team must return all match balls and report the final score to the coordinator.

Format of Play

• ITF beach tennis rules apply:
  • Level 1: 1.80m net; male players follow the 6m rule.
  • All other levels: 1.70m net; 6m rule not required.
  • Men may serve overhand in all levels. Divisions are based on level, not gender.
• Best of 3 sets to 6 games:
  • 5–5 goes to 7.
  • 6–6 triggers a 7-point tiebreaker.
  • Split sets lead to a 10-point super tiebreaker.
  • All tiebreakers must be won by 2 points.
• Super tiebreaker wins count as a set but do not count as a game.
• If a player retires:
  • During the first set → Match is scored 6–4, 6–4 for the non-retiring team.
  • During the second set → First set score stands, second set is 6–4, and super tiebreaker is 10–8 to the non-retiring team (if needed).

Late Arrivals

• 15 minutes late = Lose first set 6–3.
• 20 minutes late = Lose match 6–3, 6–3.
• No-show = Lose match 6–0, 6–0.

Rescheduling

• Each player may reschedule one match per edition. Requests must be made by Wednesday at 11AM before the match.
• Late reschedule requests result in a 6–0, 6–0 loss.
• Each edition includes two official reschedule dates: the Wednesday and Saturday after the edition ends.
• To reschedule, email btsantamonica@gmail.com and text (213) 585-5917.
• BTSM may schedule rescheduled matches during regular league days if both teams are available.

Substitutes

• Each player is allowed two substitutes per edition.
• Exceptions may be made for injuries or other uncontrollable events. A permanent replacement of equal or lower level must be approved by BTSM.
• All substitutes must be approved by the BTSM coordinator and must be of equal or lower level.

League Rankings

• Rankings are determined by:
  1. Total matches won
  2. Sets won minus sets lost
  3. Games won minus games lost
  4. Head-to-head results
• Rankings are based on top 6 doubles results.
• If all players in a division played more than 6 matches, rankings will be based on the number of matches played by the player with the fewest games.
• If a player does not complete the league minimum of 6 matches, remaining unplayed matches will be recorded as a 6–4, 6–4 loss.

Divisions & Placement

• Divisions are based on past performance.
• Top 2 teams (except Level 1) move up a level.
• Bottom 2 teams (except Level 5) move down a level.
• If a player skips one edition, their last played edition is used for placement. Skipping two or more results in a drop of one division for every two editions missed.
• New players typically start in the lowest division unless approved otherwise by BTSM.
• Men’s ITF players enter in Division 1 for their first league. All other rules apply to them.
• Women’s ITF players enter in Division 2 for their first league. All other rules apply to them.

Refund Policy

• No refunds are issued after the Wednesday before the first weekend of each edition.

Singles

Scheduling

• Players are responsible for scheduling their own matches with opponents.
• All singles matches must be completed within the edition period.

Match Requirements

• Each player plays 2 matches:
  • One against the player ranked directly above.
  • One against the player ranked directly below.

Special Rule for #1 Ranked Player

• Plays #2 — if #1 wins, they remain #1.
• If #1 loses, a second match must be played.
• If #1 loses again, they drop in ranking. If they win the second match, they stay #1.

Ranking Tie-Breaker

• If a lower-ranked player wins both matches (above and below), they move up in ranking.
• If only one match is won, rankings remain unchanged.

Match Format

• All singles are played as Pro Sets:
  • First to 8 games wins.
  • 7–7 goes to 9; 8–8 triggers a 7-point tiebreaker.

Ranking Updates

• Singles rankings are updated after each edition.
• Players must report their scores promptly.