2025 DELSEA TENNIS CLUB CHALLENGE LADDER RULES

 

WHO MAY CHALLENGE

 

To challenge or be members of the Delsea Tennis Club Tennis ladder, players must be current members. Membership dues should be paid at the beginning of the year to avoid potential problems. Players may play on the ladder with only one doubles partner. Players must be residents of South Jersey, including all counties south of Mercer County.

 

MAKING THE CHALLENGE

 

    1.    Challenge Season is March 1 to October 31. Challenges may be made up to and
            including October 31. Players have eight days to play the match, starting the day
            after the Challenge is made.
    2.     Any new Challengers must e-mail the Ladder Coordinator (at this time
            Challengers must email the Captain of the team that they want to play on) along
            with the board members to learn availability of players and to register a

            challenge. After setting up the match, the challenger must email the Captain and             Board of the time and place of the match.
    3.     Unranked players or teams may get on the ladder by challenging any position on
            the ladder. If victorious, the challenger takes the loser’s rank and all

            players/teams below drop one position. If the challengers lose, they may

            challenge at a position no higher than five positions lower or may add their

            names to the bottom of the ladder. Without challenging, players may add their             name to the bottom of the ladder. Challengers who have not held ladder

            positions for twelve months may not challenge on the ladder by way of default.             After establishing rank, the following rules apply:
   4.     After making a challenge, i.e e-mailing the Coordinator ( or Captain), the
            players have eight days to play the match, starting the day after the challenge is
            made. Time extensions may be granted by the Coordinator (or Captain) for
            inclement weather. To avoid conflict, the match must be played within eight

            days. While a match is pending, players may not make or accept other

            challenges.
   5.     Players may challenge 1, 2 or 3 positions above their current rank.
   6.     Matches must be played outdoors in South Jersey on a court chosen by the
            defender. Other courts may be used by mutual agreement of the players.

7.     Challengers must supply a new unopened can of approved USTA tennis balls.
8.     Matches are decided by the best of three sets. A 7 point tie-breaker will be
        used when the score is 6 games all.

AFTER THE MATCH

1.     The winner must report the match results to the Coordinator ( or Captain), the
        day the match is played.
2.     During the four days following the match, these rules apply:
        - Players cannot schedule a rematch
        - The defender may decline further challenges
        - The challenger cannot make another challenge

WITHDRAWAL FROM THE LADDER

1. Players may voluntarily withdraw from the ladder at any time. If unavailable for
more than 15 days, they must be withdrawn. If off the ladder for less than a year,
upon returning the players may challenge onto a ladder at a position no higher than
the position vacated. If they lose the challenge, they may challenge one position
lower and so on until ranking is established. Players off the ladder for 12 months or
more follow the rules for new challenges to the ladder.

2. Players unavailable for 8 to 15 days must inform the Coordinator ( or Captain).
They will be classified as inactive and subsequently allowed to return to the ladder
without challenge. If the Coordinator (or Captain) is uninformed about the inactive
status and said players are challenged, they will be defaulted.