Sunday, April 11, 2010

Should we add a super tiebreaker instead of just playing two sets?

Should we add a super tiebreaker instead of just playing two sets?SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend



Thanks to everyone for voting in the poll. The polls show that this topic is a major issue, especially since 71% of the readers (according to the poll) are current players in the league and 86% of the voters thought that we should add a superbreaker.  There are no ties in tennis and there's no reason that we can't add a third set tiebreaker that would add five minutes to the match.  My proposal to the league is that we switch to the 7 point Division 1 College Tennis format, which is also used in the NEPSAC tournament and by other New England private schools.

There are a lot of problems with the current system. The purpose of not playing a third set and playing no-ad is mainly to save time.  The problem is that not playing a third set (tiebreaker) only saves five minutes! I won't bother to argue no-ad because that's a bigger yet less important issue.  A third set super tiebreaker is a widely recognized way to decide a match and it's sometimes even used in USTA National Championships.  I know that this topic has been discussed before in coaches meetings but have the coaches ever polled players before? I just did and the results were very conclusive.  The players don't like the current system and it needs to be addressed.  I have no power in the league other than my voice in this blog but I hope that by the time I graduate, we will have changed the system.  For supertiebreaker rules click here.

I really can't understand why we haven't changed the system yet because I've never heard of any other tennis match being "decided" by two sets.  Every other league in New England (as far as I know) plays full 2 out of 3 sets in singles, I'm not suggesting a third set though, I want a superbreaker that takes only five minutes. My proposed system would be a 7 point format with each singles match worth 1 point and only one overall doubles point.  I'm very interested to here what my readers and what coaches have to say so either email me or comment below.  Also, I ask the players to encourage their coaches to read this so that we can create more buzz about changing the rules.

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