10 point tie breaker USTA in place of 3rd set

[TennisCJC]

I think all rec level leagues and tournaments except for "open level" should use a 3rd set match (10 point)TB. Even open level for 35 and older should use match TB.

If you play rec leagues (usta, internet or local league), it is usually a team meet. usta and alta in Atlanta mostly play 5 matches. It can turn into a 5 to 7 hour marathon to play 5 matches on 2 courts. 3rd set match TB makes sense to cut the court time down.

A 3rd set match TB is better for amateur athletes fitness levels.

For non-open level tourneys, it is a no brainer. typically, you have to play tourney matchs on consecutive days and frequently you may have to play multiple matches in a single day. All non-open level tourneys should use a 3rd set match TB.

It also adds a little excitement as a match TB brings things to a climax quickly. It also still gives you the change to fall behind and still catch up as it is to 10 points.

I think match tb is great.

 

[J011yroger]

I think all rec level leagues and tournaments except for "open level" should use a 3rd set match (10 point)TB. Even open level for 35 and older should use match TB.

If you play rec leagues (usta, internet or local league), it is usually a team meet. usta and alta in Atlanta mostly play 5 matches. It can turn into a 5 to 7 hour marathon to play 5 matches on 2 courts. 3rd set match TB makes sense to cut the court time down.

A 3rd set match TB is better for amateur athletes fitness levels.

For non-open level tourneys, it is a no brainer. typically, you have to play tourney matchs on consecutive days and frequently you may have to play multiple matches in a single day. All non-open level tourneys should use a 3rd set match TB.

It also adds a little excitement as a match TB brings things to a climax quickly. It also still gives you the change to fall behind and still catch up as it is to 10 points.

I think match tb is great.

We used to play full third sets in Open.

Not anymore though.

J

 

[darkhorse]

I don't like it, but understand it. I agree with the suggestion that they go longer than 10 points (14 seems like an ideal, twice the length of a set TB).

What I absolutely can't stand is the korman (or whatever it's called) format when it's applied to singles matches. I sort of get it for doubles, but it totally disrupts the rhythm for singles matches. I had a guy get so mad when I suggested we play the "normal" TB format in a singles match once, and it was indoors!

Also, any insight why this was the method USTA went for shortening matches? I feel like no-ad scoring would accomplish the same goal and isn't quite as disruptive. I feel like the 10 pt is relatively new (within the last 15-20 years) but I might be wrong on that.

 

[Deleted member 23235]

Also, any insight why this was the method USTA went for shortening matches? I feel like no-ad scoring would accomplish the same goal and isn't quite as disruptive. I feel like the 10 pt is relatively new (within the last 15-20 years) but I might be wrong on that.

i'm guessing because people had to work the next day?

i had a usta match yesterday...
7p start on 3 courts... (obviously staggered start)
first court did not free up until 9p
my match went to about 11
i was home by 11:30p

and that was WITH a 10tb-as-3rd set (everyone went to the superT)
IMO no-ad scoring completely changes the dynamic of a tennis match.... ie. sudden death, vs. who will win 2pts in a row first.

 

[darkhorse]

i'm guessing because people had to work the next day?

i had a usta match yesterday...
7p start on 3 courts... (obviously staggered start)
first court did not free up until 9p
my match went to about 11
i was home by 11:30p

and that was WITH a 10tb-as-3rd set (everyone went to the superT)
IMO no-ad scoring completely changes the dynamic of a tennis match.... ie. sudden death, vs. who will win 2pts in a row first.

I get the need for making sure matches finish within a certain timeframe (be it due to court availability or fitness or whatever), the pro tours did the same thing when the set tiebreaker was created. I'm just asking why a match tiebreaker was adopted instead of some other rule change to ensure matches end on time, no-ad scoring being an example. I wouldn't really like that either, but at least no-ad would apply throughout the entire match instead of playing a different format for a deciding set like a match TB. People reading the thread might know of what went into the decision to use a match TB instead of something else because they were league players at the time (again, I don't think it was that long ago).

You might find no-ad scoring to be disruptive, but maybe that's because you don't often play with those rules. If it was widely adopted at the rec league level, you might feel differently. I'm not saying one is right and one is wrong, and there are other solutions like playing a fast-four set for the 3rd instead of a full set. it's just on my mind because I'm playing WTT for the first time, tonight actually, and I'm curious how I'll do with the different rules in place. It's a slow day at work, and the mind can wander...

 

[gameboy]

No desire for 3rd set whatsoever. We are not playing for Wimbledon out there. Just looking to have some fun for an hour or so. Playing 3 hours sound excruciating, let alone waiting for that match to finish.

Up here in PNW, almost every league is indoors. Getting rid of no-ad and TB would mean you have to reserve twice as much court time, doubling the cost for everyone, and really not many clubs will support league play. This would be a sure way to kill recent growth in USTA league play.

Sent from my SM-N915T using Tapatalk

 

[Dartagnan64]

Maybe because I grew in Canada where hockey is the religion and sudden death overtime is as exciting as the sport gets, but I find no ad to be quite an easy to stomach change. Playing a sudden death point really focuses the mind and separates the chokers from those that rise to the occasion.

Similarly 10 point tiebreakers also bring finality to a match quicker and require some steely nerves. Good experience to put yourself in these situations.

In the end, if you are getting into 3rd set TB's and no ad points, you are pretty evenly matched with the opponent so its going to come down to a good break here and there to determine a winner. A coin flip would likely prove as accurate at determining the better player in that situation. So I wouldn't blame a scoring system for a win or a loss. It was going to be a 50-50 thing no matter what.

 

[J011yroger]

A coin flip would likely prove as accurate at determining the better player in that situation.

Unless you are Jolly, king of the super tiebreaker.

J

 

[coloskier]

That would be an exceptionally rare occurrence and if it occurred when you were down 4-5, you’d lose the set.

I had just won the 2nd set 6-1, then that happened. I would have been down 1-0 with no break and my serve instead of trying to claw back in a TB.

 

[Nostradamus]

I just started playing USTA last year and I'd like to mention how much I hate this system, not that anyone cares. It encourages set tanking and seems very arbitrary. I'm guessing the reason it was implemented is that it discourages stalling when you are talking about 3rd sets where one player has won a lopsided set and wants to run out the clock before he/she loses the 3rd.

And fyi, I've won one super tie and lost one by one point after timing out this season, so it isn't just sour grapes. I just think it's an inferior version of tennis.

That's what they do in ATP pro tour so we must do the same.

 

[Blakefan17]

Wanted to bump this old thread because of something odd that happened today. Had a two hour slot at my local club in Chicago. I lost the first set 5-7 but took the second set 7-5. We only had 5 minutes or so left to play a ten point breaker and when our time was up I was up 5-2. Who wins the match?

Also note that we were not kicked off the court and I asked my opponent twice to try to finish the breaker, he didn't want to because our time was up (he didn't want to lose).

 

[Slowtwitcher]

Wanted to bump this old thread because of something odd that happened today. Had a two hour slot at my local club in Chicago. I lost the first set 5-7 but took the second set 7-5. We only had 5 minutes or so left to play a ten point breaker and when our time was up I was up 5-2. Who wins the match?

Also note that we were not kicked off the court and I asked my opponent twice to try to finish the breaker, he didn't want to because our time was up (he didn't want to lose).

You know he's telling everyone he won.

 

[Blakefan17]

You know he's telling everyone he won.

Does it mean I'm the big winner though

 

[Slowtwitcher]

Does it mean I'm the big winner though

Not sure... has the Kraken been released yet?

 

[Blakefan17]

Not sure... has the Kraken been released yet?

I just want my prize sir

 

[Blakefan17]

And you are telling me this is a Wendy's?

 

[socallefty]

What’s the BMI and age of those who want to play a full 3rd set vs those who want to play a 10-point match tiebreaker? I bet there’s a correlation with the younger, fit guys wanting to play a 3rd set. In social matches, it is usually the player or team that loses the second set and feeling more mentally/physically fatigued that usually asks if we can play a MTB.

If there’s no set timing for a match to end, I would prefer to play a full 3rd set and luckily USTA in our county asks us to play 3rd sets unless both players agree to play a 10-pt TB. In league matches that I have played, MTBs are used only in dead lines where the team match result is already decided. Otherwise, most players want to play more tennis especially as it is outdoors in beautiful SoCal weather.

 

[Dartagnan64]

What’s the BMI and age of those who want to play a full 3rd set vs those who want to play a 10-point match tiebreaker?

I'd also like to know the marital status and kid status in that setting. I imagine people that have a wife and kids are more inclined to play tiebreakers.

I'd also think that masochists would like a 3rd set and attention deficit disordered people would like tiebreakers.

 

[schmke]

Wanted to bump this old thread because of something odd that happened today. Had a two hour slot at my local club in Chicago. I lost the first set 5-7 but took the second set 7-5. We only had 5 minutes or so left to play a ten point breaker and when our time was up I was up 5-2. Who wins the match?

Also note that we were not kicked off the court and I asked my opponent twice to try to finish the breaker, he didn't want to because our time was up (he didn't want to lose).

Depends on your local rules.

Some areas allow for matches to go beyond the scheduled time either continuing if the court is available, using an overflow court, or scheduling a time to complete the match. If this is the case in your area, your opponent should have stayed to complete the match since the court was available, and his electing not to could be construed as him defaulting and giving the win to you.

Other areas have provisions for timed matches in the event you run out of time and the specifics on what to do when that happens vary. But generally, in your situation you would be given the win being up 5-2 in a match tie-break. If the score had been tied, then local rules dictate how to resolve it (play a deciding point, spin a racquet, etc).

 

[Blakefan17]

Thanks for the clarification, this is super helpful.

 

[Ronaldo]

Any love for the Gamma Tradition 18 & 20?

 

[OnTheLine]

What’s the BMI and age of those who want to play a full 3rd set vs those who want to play a 10-point match tiebreaker? I bet there’s a correlation with the younger, fit guys wanting to play a 3rd set. In social matches, it is usually the player or team that loses the second set and feeling more mentally/physically fatigued that usually asks if we can play a MTB.

If there’s no set timing for a match to end, I would prefer to play a full 3rd set and luckily USTA in our county asks us to play 3rd sets unless both players agree to play a 10-pt TB. In league matches that I have played, MTBs are used only in dead lines where the team match result is already decided. Otherwise, most players want to play more tennis especially as it is outdoors in beautiful SoCal weather.

I wish that were the case here. League rules dictate the 10-pt TB. I much prefer full 3rd. Yes, in part because I have more stamina than most. In my social matches we play full 3rd at least 75% of the time.

 

[Pass750]

Wanted to bump this old thread because of something odd that happened today. Had a two hour slot at my local club in Chicago. I lost the first set 5-7 but took the second set 7-5. We only had 5 minutes or so left to play a ten point breaker and when our time was up I was up 5-2. Who wins the match?

Also note that we were not kicked off the court and I asked my opponent twice to try to finish the breaker, he didn't want to because our time was up (he didn't want to lose).

Not sure of the rules , but I would consider you the winner, especially since they refused to finish. That’s really weak on their part.

 

[sovertennis]

I'd also like to know the marital status and kid status in that setting. I imagine people that have a wife and kids are more inclined to play tiebreakers.

I'd also think that masochists would like a 3rd set and attention deficit disordered people would like tiebreakers.

Can I also add "time of day" to the permutations for which sort of player wants to play a third set instead of 10 pointer? Although I would prefer to play a third during the day, for night matches I'd rather play a 10 pointer because after the second set I just want to go home and get something to eat.

 

[Ronaldo]

According to USTA League rules, If playing the match tiebreak when time expires, player/team ahead by 2-points, wins. If tied in points or only one point difference, a single point (deciding point) is played to decide the match. Did you use no-ad scoring? Rarely had a match last longer than 90 minutes with no-ad and a third set tie-break.

 

[Blakefan17]

According to USTA League rules, If playing the match tiebreak when time expires, player/team ahead by 2-points, wins. If tied in points or only one point difference, a single point (deciding point) is played to decide the match. Did you use no-ad scoring? Rarely had a match last longer than 90 minutes with no-ad and a third set tie-break.

We used ad scoring and took a longer than regulation warm up, I think. Prolly close to 30 mins. This isn't a super serious league so all is well. I was just bummed that he didn't want to finish.

Better than last week though - guy was having a tantrum and broke one of his RF97's. Also, I was up 5-2 in the third after we split the first two. At 40-15 I was serving for set and he walked off the court and said "I'm done." First time in my tennis life that I have just walked to my bench, grabbed my ****, and left without acknowledging the opponent. Curious, what would you 4.5 / 5.0 USTA pros do if you saw that go down at your club?

 

[Blakefan17]

In the third set he was throwing his racquet at high speed at the wall / fence. It was sorta crazy. Guy coulda hurt somebody.

 

[J011yroger]

We used ad scoring and took a longer than regulation warm up, I think. Prolly close to 30 mins. This isn't a super serious league so all is well. I was just bummed that he didn't want to finish.

Better than last week though - guy was having a tantrum and broke one of his RF97's. Also, I was up 5-2 in the third after we split the first two. At 40-15 I was serving for set and he walked off the court and said "I'm done." First time in my tennis life that I have just walked to my bench, grabbed my ****, and left without acknowledging the opponent. Curious, what would you 4.5 / 5.0 USTA pros do if you saw that go down at your club?

Probably just laugh at the quitter.

I mean we deal with children all day so it's kind of funny to see grown adults with jobs and children lose tempers and act petty.

On the other hand it's great to see the new player 3.0s having a big time blasting the ball around without a care in the world. I guarantee they have twice as much fun as the "better" players at the club.

J

 

[Slowtwitcher]

We used ad scoring and took a longer than regulation warm up, I think. Prolly close to 30 mins. This isn't a super serious league so all is well. I was just bummed that he didn't want to finish.

Better than last week though - guy was having a tantrum and broke one of his RF97's. Also, I was up 5-2 in the third after we split the first two. At 40-15 I was serving for set and he walked off the court and said "I'm done." First time in my tennis life that I have just walked to my bench, grabbed my ****, and left without acknowledging the opponent. Curious, what would you 4.5 / 5.0 USTA pros do if you saw that go down at your club?

People hate losing to you

 

[Blakefan17]

People hate losing to you

I'm just that good

...or they just don't like losing to a skinny little piece of work like me

 

[Blakefan17]

Probably just laugh at the quitter.

I mean we deal with children all day so it's kind of funny to see grown adults with jobs and children lose tempers and act petty.

On the other hand it's great to see the new player 3.0s having a big time blasting the ball around without a care in the world. I guarantee they have twice as much fun as the "better" players at the club.

J

What is amazing is this guy is the President / Co-founder of his own engineering firm. Seem's like a bright and composed person off the court. Naturally I sorta fed off of that energy in set 3, which contributed to the collapse. I think he played D1 tennis in the 1990's.

 

[FiddlerDog]

I lost the first set 5-7 but took the second set 7-5. We only had 5 minutes or so left to play a ten point breaker and when our time was up I was up 5-2. Who wins the match?

Why is this a question? You were winning the TB. You win.

 

[Cashman]

Most leagues where I am, you enter a team of two. Everyone plays five tiebreak sets each (3x doubles, 1x singles, 1x reverse singles) meaning the rubber is best of seven.

Overall it's a nice mix that rewards well-balanced teams, although it definitely rewards singles players who start fast. There is no real room for momentum shifts in a single set.

There are specific singles leagues and ladders that are flat 3-setters, but a lot of people don't want to commit to those. It can be a pretty long afternoon if you are on the wrong end of a thrashing. I would probably prefer match tiebreaks, to be honest.

 

[Pass750]

We used ad scoring and took a longer than regulation warm up, I think. Prolly close to 30 mins. This isn't a super serious league so all is well. I was just bummed that he didn't want to finish.

Better than last week though - guy was having a tantrum and broke one of his RF97's. Also, I was up 5-2 in the third after we split the first two. At 40-15 I was serving for set and he walked off the court and said "I'm done." First time in my tennis life that I have just walked to my bench, grabbed my ****, and left without acknowledging the opponent. Curious, what would you 4.5 / 5.0 USTA pros do if you saw that go down at your club?

What the hell is wrong with people ? Other than the fact that he was losing was there anything that set him off?

 

[Dartagnan64]

What is amazing is this guy is the President / Co-founder of his own engineering firm. Seem's like a bright and composed person off the court. Naturally I sorta fed off of that energy in set 3, which contributed to the collapse. I think he played D1 tennis in the 1990's.

There is a high rate of sociopathy and narcissism amongst CEO's and high ranking business executives. You shouldn't be so surprised.

 

[HBK4life]

I hate match tie breakers. It takes away the advantage of being the fitter player.

 

[Dartagnan64]

I hate match tie breakers. It takes away the advantage of being the fitter player.

Sounds like a good thing. It forces guys that win with fitness to improve their technical skills and become better players.

 

[Jack the Hack]

I'm kind of a grinder and used to win a lot of matches in 3rd sets. I took a break from tennis for a few years and when I came back, the 10 point tiebreaker was the new thing. I won the first 8 that I played, so I thought, "this isn't so bad." Since then, I've lost quite a few where I felt like a would have won a full set. But overall, I'm pretty much just used to it. It's a 50/50 proposition for me. And can be a pretty exciting way to end a close team match in league.

(I was trying to remember the last time I played a full third set in a real match... and it was in 2015 in an age group tournament! Yikes!)

 

[OnTheLine]

To go with my I hate Tiebreakers moniker ..... last match of my fall season was this past week.
Lost the dang 3rd set 10-pt TB.
Was serving tied at 10-10.
Hit a solid serve ... return clips top of tape, rolls and dead drops.
Now receiving 10-11
I hit a really good return ... opponent frames the ball, has the weirdest spin ... hits the tape and another dead drop.
Game Set Match on two net cord winners in a row.

I just laughed ... I mean, what can you do about that? The rest of the match was great ... but final score 2-6; 6-4; 1-0

 

[Cashman]

It forces guys that win with fitness to improve their technical skills and become better players.

Being fit is part of being a good player

If you don’t want fitness to be a factor in the game - play doubles. Or tiddlywinks.

 

[socallefty]

In looking at all my singles matches (1,164 matches) over the past decade, I have played full third sets 63 times with a 75% winning record and match tiebreaks 42 times with a 76% winning record. So, that's enough of a sample size to see that it has not made a difference to the outcome whether I played a full 3rd set or a match tiebreaker in singles. Also, the total record for all tiebreakers played is 117-34 which is a 77% winning %. It doesn't seem to matter whether it is a 7-point regular TB or a match TB as the winning % is similar.

I guess I win about 3 out of 4 tiebreakers and 3-setters whatever the format. Also, only about 10% of singles matches go to a 3rd set. My philosophy related to playing tiebreakers in general and match tiebreakers in particular is as follows:

- Play fearlessly and go for your shots and serves - it is not the time to play conservative. This is usually how I play on breakpoints and game points also.
- Play ferocious defense and don't give up on any ball - make the opponent "feel" your fighting spirit. They might make errors if you get back "one more ball" as they will be tight during long rallies. If they make 1-2 easy errors on points they controlled, they will think about it and it will affect their play later in the TB.
- In general, the player who is getting easy service points (aces/winners/serve+1) finds it easier to win the TB as it is tough to win ten points just from winning rallies. So, execute your favorite patterns on serves.
- The players who DFs is more tight and likely to lose - try to be extra-relaxed while serving and aim for good depth as it is more common to serve shallow into the net when you are stressed in a TB.
- Try to think about "who is doing what to whom" or "what is working and what is not working" in terms of point patterns before the start of the TB and have a plan for shot/return strategies. If you feel like you know what you need to execute, it is easier to feel like you are in control of the TB emotionally. Otherwise, it can be a bit scary to think about how you are going to win ten points under pressure.

I don’t have the stats for MTBs in team doubles, but know that I win only 60% of matches that go a third set whether it is a full set or MTB. Off the top of my head, I feel like the team with the weakest player usually loses the MTB as he feels the most pressure and makes the most errors under MTB pressure.

 

[travlerajm]

I'm fine with it for doubles but I hate it for singles. I think singles should switch to playing a no ad full third. It may make it confusing to start with but it rewards fitness in singles in the long run. I've had plenty of guys that blasted me first set, I wore out second set then they still won the tie break despite being worn out. With a full third I would be rewarded for the effort in the rest of the match.

Are you sure they were worn out? Or were they conserving energy for the TB?

 

[socallefty]

I'm fine with it for doubles but I hate it for singles. I think singles should switch to playing a no ad full third. It may make it confusing to start with but it rewards fitness in singles in the long run. I've had plenty of guys that blasted me first set, I wore out second set then they still won the tie break despite being worn out. With a full third I would be rewarded for the effort in the rest of the match.

Many times what happens is that if you lose the first set and then have to come back from a break down to win a tight second set, you are a bit drained emotionally from being behind in the score for almost the whole match when the MTB starts. Your opponent meanwhile feels revived emotionally to get another chance to win the match after losing the 2nd set and they feel mentally that they should ‘rightfully’ win as they were ahead most of the match - that can give them the mental edge to get off to a good start in the MTB. Also, the stronger server has the advantage in a TB to get some easy points even if they are physically depleted - so, make your serve a weapon if you want to win many TBs and MTBs.

 

[Dartagnan64]

Being fit is part of being a good player

If you don’t want fitness to be a factor in the game - play doubles. Or tiddlywinks.

But you can get even better if you are fit and work on your game so that you can win a short match. It's not that fitness isn't part of the game, its that it shouldn't be the only part of your game.

Being unable to win a tiebreaker because your skill isn't good enough is no less a sin than being unable to win a full 3rd set because your fitness isn't good enough.

Ideally a tennis player would like to be able to win in both situations.

 

[silentkman]

But you can get even better if you are fit and work on your game so that you can win a short match. It's not that fitness isn't part of the game, its that it shouldn't be the only part of your game.

Being unable to win a tiebreaker because your skill isn't good enough is no less a sin than being unable to win a full 3rd set because your fitness isn't good enough.

Ideally a tennis player would like to be able to win in both situations.

I understand your point, but fitness is a crucial part of sports, sans golf. I have no problem with the ten point tiebreaker. However, i think in finals you should play the third set if possible. I'm not a huge fan of playing no-ad but i'm ok with it. Tennis get enough criticism for not being that athletic anyway from outsiders. there is a reason why golf is more popular than tennis.

 

[zipplock]

I don't like them in principle (point values are different in a set vs TB) but understand the need for them in practice (court time restraints).

 

[dman72]

What’s the BMI and age of those who want to play a full 3rd set vs those who want to play a 10-point match tiebreaker? I bet there’s a correlation with the younger, fit guys wanting to play a 3rd set. In social matches, it is usually the player or team that loses the second set and feeling more mentally/physically fatigued that usually asks if we can play a MTB.

If there’s no set timing for a match to end, I would prefer to play a full 3rd set and luckily USTA in our county asks us to play 3rd sets unless both players agree to play a 10-pt TB. In league matches that I have played, MTBs are used only in dead lines where the team match result is already decided. Otherwise, most players want to play more tennis especially as it is outdoors in beautiful SoCal weather.

Funny, I started the thread....since I made the OP I've probably played more than 2 sets a grand total of 10 times in the ensuing years. Between USTA, league ladder matches, and not playing much outside of that format, and most of the guys I play being >30, I don't even know if I could handle a 3rd set now. . I'm 6'1 185 which is pretty much what I was when I posted the OP, so whatever that BMI is. Do you need my waist measurement as well?

I play in a ladder league where money is on the line, and we play to the buzzer, period, with TB being the deciding 3rds set. The rules are the rules. I've grown accustomed to supers and practice them more, to the point where it's what I expect. I still think there shouldn't be a clock in tennis, but playing at clubs, there is one, and the super is an attempt to take the clock out of the equation, but it doesn't accomplish that sometimes either.

 

[Cashman]

Being unable to win a tiebreaker because your skill isn't good enough is no less a sin than being unable to win a full 3rd set because your fitness isn't good enough.

I don’t mind playing match tiebreakers, but anyone who is too unfit to play three sets is just as deficient as a tennis player as someone who can’t hit a forehand.

Having the physical conditioning to be able to play a full match is a fundamental part of the sport.

 

[Dartagnan64]

I don’t mind playing match tiebreakers, but anyone who is too unfit to play three sets is just as deficient as a tennis player as someone who can’t hit a forehand.

Having the physical conditioning to be able to play a full match is a fundamental part of the sport.

I'd agree. I believe in TB more for the time aspect than the exercise aspect. Tomorrow I'll be playing about 4 sets of round robin singles from 7am to 9:30 am.
On weeknights I'd rather not come home after 2 hrs of grinding and try to get to sleep for work in the am.

Monday to Thursday, give me a 3rd set tiebreaker. Saturday, give me 3 sets.

I just think a tennis player shouldn't really have a strong preference and should be able to bring his game to any scoring format and win.

 

[Moveforwardalways]

Where I am, court time is in 90 minute blocks even in the warm outdoor months. If a full third set was played, many matches would not get finished. If you are playing 3 sets in 90 minutes (30 minutes per set), it is possible that your points are not competitive or there are not many significant rallies (lots of bashing). For instance, it is not uncommon for a start time of 6:00 to have a warm up and first set go 45-50 minutes. At that point, it is 6:50 and you have to walk off the court at 7:30 (some places even require packing up 5 minutes before time to ensure the next group can start). No way you are getting in 3 full sets.