CHALLENGE LADDER RULES

You may sign up for singles or doubles ladders, or both, but signing up for both could involve as many as 4 matches per week. Be certain that you have the time to accept and make challenges. You may not play on the doubles ladder with the same partner two years in a row.

MAY OPEN CHALLENGE

To help determine in which division you belong, there will be a four-week OPEN CHALLENGE from May 1 to May 31.  Players may challenge ANYONE during that time.  During the month of May, report results within 24 hours of a match to keep the ladder up-to-date. A May Open Challenge cannot be made after May 24, in order to allow a full seven days for the challenge to be played before the regular season begins. For new members who join after June 1, a two-week open challenge shall begin when their first challenge is played. New doubles partnerships will be treated as new members and will be allowed two weeks of open challenge.

MAKING CHALLENGES

1.  On June 1, the ladders will be established.  You may challenge any of the five names above your own.  You may skip over any players turned over when counting five positions.  Challenges may not be made to a player/team who has less than 7 days before they are turned over.  If you win the match, your name goes in your opponent’s place and they move down the ladder one position.  The winner will report match results within 24 hours.  Updated ladders will be posted on the website.

2.  The top 4 positions on the ladder are eligible to challenge onto the next highest ladder, up to a maximum of 5 positions above their own.  For example, if you are the top position of the B ladder, you may challenge as high as the 5^th position from the bottom of the A ladder.  The top 5 positions on the A ladder are eligible to challenge up or down; this gives them equal opportunity to play and earn MIGS points.

3.   You may challenge the 6^th person above if all 5 people above you already have a challenge from behind.  You may make only one challenge matchup, per ladder, at a time.  You must play that match before making another challenge.  Players cannot challenge the same person again until both have played another match or one week has elapsed.

4. If any player in the top 3 positions is turned over and a team or player just below any of the top 5 positions is challenged, the winner will move up above the team(s) turned over. When the player/team who was turned over returns, and if she has/they have dropped below position #6, then she is/they are allowed a free challenge to resume their previous position to be taken within two weeks of their return. If the number one team/player is turned over, and the number two team/player is challenged, whichever team/player wins the challenge will automatically be moved to the number one spot.

5. Challenges may be made via e-mail, text or phone. If no response is received in 24 hours, challenge again using an alternative means. If no response is received in the second 24 hour period, a forfeit will be given. Play the match within 7 days of the time it was accepted. If challenged, the person challenged must give the challenger at least 3 different reasonable days and times to play the match, including at least one evening or weekend time. Reasonable starting times are between 8am and 8pm. Otherwise, the match is forfeited. Similarly, the challenger must respond back to the challenged player within 24 hours to say which date and times are best to schedule the match. Otherwise, the challenged player may move on and make or accept another challenge. You can turn down a challenge only if you have already accepted a challenge from behind. If you have a challenge from behind in singles you still need to accept a doubles challenge and vice versa.

6. Challenges should be made at least 7 days prior to the end of the season. Challenges made with fewer than 7 days left in the season are not subject to forfeits due to unavailability.

PLAYING MATCHES

1.  All singles ladder matches will consist of a 10-game pro-set, with tiebreaker to be played at 10 all.  If both singles agree ahead of time, they can play an 8-game pro-set instead, with tie-breaker to be played at 8 all.  Doubles matches will consist of best 2 out of 3 sets.  If both teams agree ahead of  time when a match is tied at 1 set each, in lieu of a 3rd set, a 10-point tiebreaker may be played.  The first team to win 10 points by a 2-point margin shall win the tiebreaker and the match.  If an agreement cannot be reached, the 3rd set must be played.

2.  Ladder matches may be played at any Park Ridge Park District court or other court mutually agreed upon by the players.

3.  The challenger always supplies a new can of USTA-approved tennis balls.  PRWTA will furnish balls for the tournaments, round robins and salad bar luncheon.

4.  Official tennis regulations should be observed in all matches, with the exception of foot faults, which may be pointed out but not called.  If you are not sure whether a ball was clearly out, you must call it good.  If doubles disagree on a call, the point is awarded to the opponents.  Don’t replay the point.

5.  If a match is interrupted (e.g., due to rain, darkness or lack of court time), it must be resumed within 7 days from the point at which it stopped.  Allow a ten-minute warm-up.

6. If a match has been scheduled and a Heat Advisory is issued by the National Weather Service for the date of the scheduled match, either player/team may elect to reschedule without being subject to a forfeit.

TURN OVERS

1.  You must notify the ladder chairperson if you are going to be unavailable for five days or more.  In such cases, your name will be “turned over” and others can skip your name when counting 5 names above their own.  Failure to notify the chairperson of your absence will result in a forfeit to the challenging player/team.  Report turn overs one week prior to the beginning date, except in the case of injury, illness or emergency.

2.  If you are both a singles and doubles ladder and you choose to “turn over”, you must “turn over” on both the singles and the doubles ladder.  However, the other team member is still available (not “turnover over”) for singles challenge matches.

3.  If you are “turned over”, you may not participate in any PRWTA tournaments.  However, if you are not the member of the doubles team which needs to be “turned over”, you may still participate in the tournament.

FORFEITS

1.  Default time is TEN minutes. 

2.  If a player is unable to finish a match due to tiredness, injury, illness, etc. she must forfeit the match.  Better to forfeit than become seriously ill.

3.  Challenges may be made via email, text or phone.  If no response is received in 24 hours, challenge again using an alternative means.  If no response is received in the second 24 hour period, a forfeit will be given.  Play the match within 7 days of the time it was accepted.  If challenged, the person challenged must give the challenger at least 3 different reasonable days and times to play the match, including at least one evening or weekend time.  Reasonable starting times are between 8am and 8pm.  Otherwise, the match is forfeited.

4.  Once a match is officially scheduled with a mutually agreed upon date and time, if either team finds out later that they cannot play, then the match is forfeited.  Points will be awarded to the non-defaulting team, and ladder changes will be made if necessary.

5.  If the person challenged does not show up, then the challenger of the match moves up the ladder and gets a MIGS point.  This is treated as a forfeit.  If the challenger of a match does not show up, then the person challenged gets one MIGS point.

6.  Only one forfeit per week will be awarded a MIGS point.  The purpose of accepting a forfeit is to improve your position on the ladder.  Remember, you are challenging the position, not the person. 

TOURNAMENTS

1.  Players participate in tournaments according to their ladder position.  Players may choose to play in a higher level tournament than their ladder position.  However, they may not play lower than their ladder position.  In a doubles partnership, placement in the tournament will be determined by the higher ladder position.  The tournament committee reserves the right to reclassify players/teams.

2.  Players must follow tournament rules set forth by the chairperson, such as no-add scoring.

3. If you are “turned over”, you may not participate in any PRWTA tournaments. However, if you are not the member of the doubles team which needs to be “turned over”, you may still participate in the tournament.