How does the DQ Process work?

[Ljump12]

I just received a notice that I was DQ'd at the 3.0 level, which is very surprising to me. I started playing tennis in the fall and had a 4-5 record. After taking a bunch of lessons over the winter, this spring I'm off to a 4-0 start (2 in 3rd-set-tiebreaks). I've also played two 3.5 matches (one #3 doubles we won in a tiebreak, & one #2 singles I lost 6-0,6-2).

I figured I was probably going to be bumped up at the end of the season (was my goal), but to be disqualified and for my team to have to go from the top of the standings to the bottom seems very harsh.

How do the 3 strikes work, and why would I receive the strikes? Also I was under the impression that I had a computer rating after playing the fall 2013 season, and that once you had a computer rating you couldn't be disqualified. Is this not true?

 

[anubis]

I just received a notice that I was DQ'd at the 3.0 level, which is very surprising to me. I started playing tennis in the fall and had a 4-5 record. After taking a bunch of lessons over the winter, this spring I'm off to a 4-0 start (2 in 3rd-set-tiebreaks). I've also played two 3.5 matches (one #3 doubles we won in a tiebreak, & one #2 singles I lost 6-0,6-2).

I figured I was probably going to be bumped up at the end of the season (was my goal), but to be disqualified and for my team to have to go from the top of the standings to the bottom seems very harsh.

How do the 3 strikes work, and why would I receive the strikes? Also I was under the impression that I had a computer rating after playing the fall 2013 season, and that once you had a computer rating you couldn't be disqualified. Is this not true?

Post your match scores for your 4-5 season last year. Were they all against other 3.0s?

 

[Ljump12]

Here's an image of my 2013 matches.. i tried to white-out the names of my opponents for their own privacy.

http://imgur.com/K6fdZhC

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

The easy way to know if you have a computer rating is to go to usta.com/tennislink and look up your year end rating.

If your rating was a 3.0 C or 3.0 B then you could not be disqualified.

What likely happened was that in your section or district the fall matches you played did not count towards your 2013 year end rating. Whether it counts or not depends partially on if your section counts that league and when the matches were played. There is a date cutoff where matches played after that date become 2014 results.

Finally, if you are taking lessons and are fairly athletic it is relatively easy to get DQ'q from 3.0, especially against other beginners who are not putting as much into their games ...

 

[schmke]

dizzy's right, Southern doesn't include Fall matches in NTRP rating calculations, so you still entered the 2014 league year with a self-rating which made you subject to strikes and a DQ. Worse, because they aren't counted, your 4-5 record wasn't used to establish any kind of lower starting point and your rating is based on that 4-0 record and playing up which can put you at greater risk of strikes.

I can probably figure out who you are and tell you more in a minute.

 

[schmke]

My ratings would agree with your DQ. Did your DQ letter tell you the matches that were strikes? My guess is your 2/10 match was your first and was the big reason you got DQ'd as that match was so highly rated that it made it hard for subsequent matches to get your rating low enough to avoid also being strikes. A self-rated player playing up and doing well is often a recipe for a DQ.

But you asked how the DQ process works so here is a short summary. Self-rated players (and players that appeal their rating or mixed/tournament exclusive rated players that must self-rate to play adult leagues) are subject to strikes and 3 strike DQs. A strike is generated any time their rating is above a level specific threshold. Now, this threshold is higher than just the top of the level to give some allowance for natural improvement and varies for each level. The lower levels have a larger allowance and the higher levels a smaller one. If you rating exceeds this threshold three times, you are DQ'd and immediately promoted to the next level. Further, depending on your Section and their rules, match results may be reversed as it sounds happened with you.

If you'd like to get more specifics on your matches and why you were DQ'd, I can generate an Estimated Dynamic NTRP Rating Report for you that shows your match by match rating and you'd see exactly what happened. I do give discounts for players that were DQ'd if they can provide me their DQ letter, so contact me if interested. Or take a look at my blog (URL in signature).

 

[Snarf]

The lower levels have a larger allowance and the higher levels a smaller one.

I've heard this in this past as well from USTA officials, but I question whether it's true given the non-DQ's I saw from from a self-rate 4.5 (who did exceedingly well at sectionals) and 4.0 (who played up in a number of matches and was competitive against everyone but a guy who was bumped to 5.0).

 

[schmke]

I've heard this in this past as well from USTA officials, but I question whether it's true given the non-DQ's I saw from from a self-rate 4.5 (who did exceedingly well at sectionals) and 4.0 (who played up in a number of matches and was competitive against everyone but a guy who was bumped to 5.0).

Tell me who, I'll see if I can explain them.

 

[MRfStop]

A team mate of mine played 3.0 level this past fall. He beat someone in singles 1 and 0. This season he played 3.0 and 3.5. He has won at least 2 singles matches at 3.5 and has won all of this matches at 3.0.

He was informed that he has been DQ for the remainder of the 3.0 season. Which now knocks him out of going to 3.0 State this May and also knocks him out of playing with his 4.0 partner at Mix State.

 

[beernutz]

A team mate of mine played 3.0 level this past fall. He beat someone in singles 1 and 0. This season he played 3.0 and 3.5. He has won at least 2 singles matches at 3.5 and has won all of this matches at 3.0.

He was informed that he has been DQ for the remainder of the 3.0 season. Which now knocks him out of going to 3.0 State this May and also knocks him out of playing with his 4.0 partner at Mix State.

Without the benefit of additional information it sounds like the system worked pretty well in the case of your team mate. A self-rating is not a real rating, it is a guess at a rating and if you guess too low a DQ is your reward.

 

[gameboy]

Rating yourself low and playing up is a good way to get DQ'd. You really should not be surprised by the outcome that you encouraged to happen.

 

[schmke]

A team mate of mine played 3.0 level this past fall. He beat someone in singles 1 and 0. This season he played 3.0 and 3.5. He has won at least 2 singles matches at 3.5 and has won all of this matches at 3.0.

He was informed that he has been DQ for the remainder of the 3.0 season. Which now knocks him out of going to 3.0 State this May and also knocks him out of playing with his 4.0 partner at Mix State.

It sounds like playing in the Fall league didn't count or there weren't enough matches to generate a year-end rating, so he started 2014 still as a self-rated player.

Like others said, there is limited info here to do any analysis or make conclusive judgements, but that 1 & 0 win in the Fall should likely have been an indication that 3.0 was too low a level. It sounds like he sort of got that message and played up at 3.5 for the increased competition, but by continuing to play 3.0 he wanted to have his cake and eat it too, and potentially put his 3.0 team in jeopardy of having matches reversed. But you say the team is still going to State? Were his 3.0 matches not reversed?

Again, limited info, but it sounds like the system worked as intended in this case.