Fast 4 vs 8 Game Pro Set

Which format is better for a tournament


  • Total voters
    11

derick232

Rookie
So my high school alum has been hosting a community tournament for the past several years. To keep it moving quick and allow for more matches the format has always been a single 8 game pro set. This year I suggested moving to a fast 4 format for 2 main reasons.

1. It's the same number of games so it shouldn't take any longer.
2. It allows more opportunity for comebacks because any breaks of serve are reset after the first set.

We'll see if he takes my advice but I think it's a good idea. Especially as someone who most years has gone down an early break then play well the remainder of the match but have not been able to break back for the remainder of the set and loosing 6-8.

Am I missing anything? Is there any advantages to the 8 game set vs fast 4? I think if it were fast 4 there would still be ad scoring which I'm happy about.
 
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PRS

Professional
8 game pro-set will be slightly faster since you won't have a changeover between sets, you won't need a tiebreak if you split sets since you can't split sets when only playing one, and you can even put the tiebreaker at 7-7 if you want to make sure to move even faster. However, I'm definitely with you, I'd rather play fast 4s than one set to 8. That doesn't mean an 8 game pro set doesn't have its advantages though.
 

TennisOTM

Professional
If speed of matches is high priority, then it depends on the details. The fast-4 format could take longer if it is best of three full sets. But if you use a match tiebreak instead of a full third set, it will be much closer in speed to the 8-game pro set. Also using shorter tie-breaks at 3-3 (first to 5, win by 1) will speed things up. If they traditionally used no-ad scoring in the 8-game pro set, then would probably need to keep that as well.
 

derick232

Rookie
If speed of matches is high priority, then it depends on the details. The fast-4 format could take longer if it is best of three full sets. But if you use a match tiebreak instead of a full third set, it will be much closer in speed to the 8-game pro set. Also using shorter tie-breaks at 3-3 (first to 5, win by 1) will speed things up. If they traditionally used no-ad scoring in the 8-game pro set, then would probably need to keep that as well.
Speed of matches is not itself very high on priority. It is not a large tournament so time is not the overall issue. It's all done in one day with maybe the championship matches on the next day so not having players get super worn out by the end is mostly why the 8 game pro sets have been used. I know previously there has been a tiebreaker at 7-7. and I would assume a 3rd set tiebreaker would be used in fast 4's.

I've never actually played fast 4 so maybe I would hate it, but the potential time savings of 8 game pro set doesn't seem worth the chance for more competitive matches in fast 4's
 

nyta2

Legend
having recently been in a 0-6, 6-4, 1-0 match...
fast 4 makes sense, as recovering from 2 breaks down in an 8g set, can be alot to overcome...
fast 4 imo keeps with the spirit of tennis scoring (breaks reset after first set...)
 

PRS

Professional
Thirty30 (thirty-thirty) tennis is another alternative to Fast4 and the 8-game Pro Set.

Every 'short' game starts from 30-30, announced "thirty-thirty" (the clue is in the name!) and the 'change of ends' rule is doubled up.

A best of 3 sets match is completed in 40-60 minutes.

Matches are more intense, more dynamic and more exciting!

Worth trying!

www.thirty30tennis.com

Thirty30 is the tennis equivalent of Cricket's Twenty20.

Thirty30 tennis - Where EVERY Point REALLY Counts!
I love starting games at 30-30 (I would say 30-all, never 30-30) when I'm coaching/practicing pressure situations, but I wouldn't want that to be the format for a tournament I was playing in. Interesting idea though, good thinking.
 

DCNJ

Rookie
Ugh. So effectively that starts the game at deuce. I dislike fast four, but that is a hard pass for me.

Heck, why not start off at deuce and have no ad scoring. You could be done somewhere in the range of 6-12 total points!

And agreed with PRS. In practice, starting at 30-30 (or even love-30) is a really good exercise for being in pressure situations. But in any competition format (friendly, social, more serious), nope.
 
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