Tournaments are skill level based; in most cases we only run 1 division for each level. Therefore, all qualifying players will be placed in one tournament bracket. In some cases, however, there are multiple divisions of the same level. The playoffs combine all the qualifiers from the same skill level. So the brackets could have a bunch of players in it that you have never played before. In this instance, playoffs will combine all qualifiers from the same skill level. This means that your playoff bracket may have players in it that you have never played before. In addition, players who obtain wins from another skill level still qualify for playoffs in their current division. (* see below for a more detailed explanation)

Seedings & Brackets

      We present all the qualifiers on the Division report pages. League Rule #10 is used to determine the seedings:

Rule #10) Playoff Positioning
Regular season ties are broken in this order:
1) Overall Record, based on matches over .500. 6-1 is 5 matches over, 8-2 is 6 matches over and would be better.
2) In Season Head-to-Head record for players tied after #1
3) We promote players playing matches, so 6-1 would be better than 5-0.
4) Percentage of games won

Anywhere from 2 to 50 players can qualify for the tournament. The brackets will be created based upon the number of participants.

One example: Say 5 players qualify. In a 5 person single elimination bracket the #1 qualifier will have a first round bye while qualifiers #4 and #5 play a quarter final match where the winner will play the #1 seed in the Semi-Finals. Seeds #2 and #3 will play in the other semi-finals match. The winners of the two semi-finals matches will play for the championship.

Past Examples of Playoff Brackets

  2009 DC Men’s Fall Competitive - 3.5

  2009 ChiTown Women’s Summer Competitive – 3.5

  2009 Los Angeles’s Men’s Fall Skilled – 3.0

Scheduling & Deadlines

      The scheduling of the matches for playoffs follows the same format as regular season play. It is important for players to agree on a mutual time and location to play. Although the higher seeded player has choice of home court, we ask players to be flexible, if possible. Higher seed also has choice of serve or side to start the playoff match.

      In most playoff tournaments we set up a 1-week deadline to play each round’s match. This insures playoffs don’t drag on indefinitely. If you have specific concerns about your match, please contact your opponent as well as the league administrator. If there is a deadline for the tournament it will be clearly communicated in the kickoff email and also on the tournament page.

Prize Pool & National Tournament

      Once a champion has been crowned we use the prize pool to reward the participants of the playoffs. The prize pool is based upon the total number of players in the division of the tournament. Go here for more Prize Pool information. On Jan 12, 2012 we increased the prize pool for a 3rd time, continuing to separate our program from the competitors.

     The winner of the tournament will receive an invite to the National Championship that will be held at Crandon Park Tennis Center in Key Biscayne Florida on Nov. 5-7.

     Good luck!

     Hope to see you in Miami!

      * Some players get promoted mid-season from a lower skill level. The league has determined these players should not be penalized so the record they have obtained at the lower level will still count towards the win total needed to qualify for the playoffs. They will also be seeded according to Rule #10 regardless of which level the wins came from.