Junior Mixed Singles Ladder
Our mixed ladder for juniors is an easy way for teen and tween members (12 to 17 years of age) to arrange games. It is open to players of all skill levels, from beginner to advanced. Those at the top of the ladder tend to be competitive players, while those towards the bottom are often new to the game and looking for practice and experience. Please contact our club pro, Isaac Jones, to join the ladder.
Singles Ladder
Boys and girls compete against each other based on their ranking in the ladder. Your playing ability will determine where you are initially placed in the ladder. The goal is to place players much lower than their expected final position to encourage them to play matches in order to advance.
Format
The format for the KTC Singles ladder is a true ladder, with individual rankings for each player. The format allows you to arrange games at your own pace. Up-to-date standings are available, either on the KTC website or by contacting a steward. Standings will display the date and time of posting. Online posts of current standings will be made after any match that results in movements up or down, and there is usually a posting done around by 9:00pm each evening.
The listing displays ranking, name, day-phone, evening-phone, cell-phone, and email address (all optional, according to each player). Game statistics displayed include: Total number of defences of ranking-position over entire season, recent (displayed up to 5 days) upward jumps in Ranking, and Highest Attained Ranking during the season, and the number of matches played in the current month.
The recommended match format for the Singles ladder is a pro-set (first to 8; tiebreak at 7-7). Alternate formats are acceptable, as long as both participants agree to this in advance. A match must be completed on the same day it is started. If there is not enough time to finish before the end of play (e.g. within a one-hour Singles booking), the score stands at the last completed game. In the interest of fair play, you should attempt to finish the match if an open court is available.
Further Information
In order to move upward, challenges may be made to the three active* players listed immediately above you. You can also challenge downward, ANY number of players. The standings will be changing all the time, so refer to the most current listing for those immediately above you, and try to arrange matches within a short timeframe. Movement only occurs when a lower-ranked player defeats a higher-ranked player. Upper movement is limited to the lesser of 3 spots, or 1 spot above the (formerly) higher player. Scores should be reported to the steward, whether resulting in player-movement or not (there is no player movement without providing the score for posting), as it can have an effect on participants' total matches for the month. The 15 most-current results are displayed on the first page of the listing.
Example Ladder Setup
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Player 12 can challenge up to Player 8 (as Player 10 is Temporarily Out). If 12 wins, they move to Ranking 9; all the players below this new position are moved down by one.
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Player 1 can challenge Player 13 (or further down). If 13 wins, they jump to Ranking 10 (three active ranking-positions)
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Player 12 challenges Player 11 and wins; Player 11 moves to ranking 11, pushing Player 11 to ranking 12.
A Word about Matches and Fair Play
The matches can often be close, with the final result hinging on one point, and close matches often get nowhere near an 8-X score within the normal booking time. If you have started a game that is wavering between a tied score or a win, try to finish it. However, new players coming onto your court have the ultimate call as to whether they will wait for you to finish that game. Do not request to finish a tie-breaker if you are one or two points into it - they can take too long. Call it a draw! After a close loss, you may want a re-match, but your opponent is not obligated to give you an immediate rematch - there are others to play (although two opponents CAN play each other, as often as they wish).
You are obligated to accept any challenge made from a player who is within 3 positions below you, once the request is made. It does not matter if you subsequently move out of the 3-spot range. If the challenge was made at the time of being within 3 spots, it remains valid, no matter what subsequent moves take place within the ladder. Although not always possible to play within short order, you must put them on your ‘to play’ list. Ducking challenges is not permitted, and participants may appeal to the League Coordinator if they feel their request to play someone is being ignored.
* You can advise a steward if you wish to be listed as Inactive: 'Temporarily Out' (eg, vacation, injury). No need to provide reason for being listed 'out'. Please be very clear to the steward whether you want out temporarily, or permanently.
Balls: decide amongst yourselves which game balls to use. When in doubt, the challenger should be prepared to supply balls (new or open).
Rain-outs: if a match is suspended due to rain, the score is official only if one of the players has reached at least 5 games (eg. 5-4 or 5-0). For Doubles, at least 1 set must be completed. Matches are never continued over multiple days. If the minimum score is not reached and a re-match is scheduled, it is a new match, not a continuation of the score. The suspended score may be recorded as such (eg. 4-0 (rainout)), in order for participants to receive credit toward monthly matches played.
No-Shows: if one of the participants does not appear for a scheduled match, it should be recorded as ‘Walkover’. No movements are recorded, but the person who appeared receives credit toward total monthly matches played.