USTA Atlanta 3rd set 10pt Tie-break

[rich s]

We knew the 3rd set 10 pt tie breaker is used widely in other localities and also at states/sectionals/nationals.... but this upcoming fall/winter season I have heard it has made it's way to USTA Atlanta league play...

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the 3rd set 10 pt tie-breaker. It's not how the game was intended to be played IMO.....

Was wondering what/how other USTA Atlanta players/members feel about the 10 pt 3rd set T/B?

 

[Matt H.]

Not from ATL, but in south FL we went to the 3rd set 10 pt breaker in 2008.

Coincidently, it ended up being a good thing due to the economic downturn and most parks changing their closing time from 10pm to 9pm.

Getting 3 full sets in would have been close to impossible with a match "start time" of 7pm. (though, by the time the first point was actually played it was usually 7:15ish)


i agree in your feelings though, cuz i hate it too. I've had many matches where i'm up a set and on serve and i get broken at 4-5 or 4-4 and then drop the tiebreak.

winning the entire time and in a 10 minute span match is over with a big fat L. lol

 

[AR15]

I like it when I win, and hate it when I lose.:shock:

 

[SweetH2O]

We knew the 3rd set 10 pt tie breaker is used widely in other localities and also at states/sectionals/nationals.... but this upcoming fall/winter season I have heard it has made it's way to USTA Atlanta league play...

Personally, I'm not a big fan of the 3rd set 10 pt tie-breaker. It's not how the game was intended to be played IMO.....

Was wondering what/how other USTA Atlanta players/members feel about the 10 pt 3rd set T/B?

I believe it was optional this past summer in Atlanta if all players agreed to play a tiebreaker instead of a full set. One of our lines all season went with the tiebreaker, towards the end of the season in a match that didn't mean anything.

If all players agree to it, I don't see the problem. I wouldn't usually agree to it, and don't like if they make it mandatory. I can see it being necessary in tournaments with a tight schedule or in areas with limited court availability. That generally doesn't apply to league tennis sites in Atlanta.

 

[bcart1991]

It depends on the league. I'm 90% sure we played out the 3rd set this summer. Other times, you agree to one or the other before the start of the match.

I prefer playing it out, but I can understand wanting to get off the courts earlier than later on weeknights.

 

[dizzlmcwizzl]

Here three years ago it was optional during the season (if everyone agreed) but now the default is a TB and we only play it out if everyone agrees.

It has been mandatory at districts and sectionals here for a while. This is good because at this time of year it is often 95 degrees and if you are one of the better players you will be playing twice in the same day for two or three days.

Personally my record is about the same playing it out or playing a TB .. so everything tends to even out. This past weekend at sectionals I played 5 matches in three days and could not have imagined playing out all 5 matches. Our team had 11 over the 5 matches ... playing it out would have caused headaches for the tournament organizers.

 

[Z-Man]

I am currently playing in the Southern Crescent at 4:00 on sundays--the hottest part of the day. I'm glad the singles guys have the option to play tiebreakers. A third set in that heat would be grueling. Heck, a second set in that heat is grueling. For doubles, I prefer to play it out unless I feel like I might lose the 3rd set and thus want to roll the dice. I like it being the players' option. Tiebreak if everyone agrees, play it out if someone insists on a 3rd set. In doubles, there's really no reason not to play a 3rd set. Singles is totally different.

 

[Wakenslam]

The 10 pointer has it's place. During tournaments when you're playing two or three matches per day it's necessary I guess. During the regular season it's a complete joke. It takes fitness right out of the game, and luck can enter into a match too much for my taste. If this is implemented here in Atlanta I'll probably consider playing other leagues instead.

 

[rich s]

The 10 pointer has it's place. During tournaments when you're playing two or three matches per day it's necessary I guess. During the regular season it's a complete joke. It takes fitness right out of the game, and luck can enter into a match too much for my taste. If this is implemented here in Atlanta I'll probably consider playing other leagues instead.

Wake.... I was just logging in to share my thoughts (since I am the one who started the thread) .... and ..... I couldn't have said it any better

I don't know that I will be considering other leagues instead, but I definitely will not be as jazzed about USTA league play as I used to be....

 

[dcdoorknob]

In principle I agree that a full third set is better.

Still, many places have time restrictions (90 min or 2 hours) for league matches, and in those cases it is just not often feasible to play 3 full sets, so the 10 point tiebreaker becomes necessary.

If it's not a court time issue then I do agree that full 3rd sets are better. I have no idea what that situation is in Atlanta.

 

[Delano]

^^^

I'm not a fan of the third set tiebreaker. Even when I win them, I feel like it has diminished the experience. I remember realizing, when I was up a set but down 5-6 in the second, that I'd be playing a tiebreaker for this match regardless of whether I held serve. Sure, it was still important to hold (give myself two chances to win it in a tiebreak instead of just one), but it still took something away from the pressure to hold. The competition is better when you know that you better hold or you're in for a long afternoon.

The only reason I'm not critical of the 10 pt tiebreak is that court time is often restricted, and there just isn't enough to go around. The 10pt tiebreaker doesn't just shorten the match, it makes the timing more predictable, which is crucial when there are a load of teams playing out of the same courts, all crammed into the weekend.

When I was young and ran half marathons, it was to my advantage to play out the third set. Now that I'm north of 40 and 15lbs heavier (and often playing an opponent a decade younger), I'm better off with the 10pter, for sure. But still, I like the way tennis can be a long, grueling physical and mental experience, and it needs to last long enough for momentum and resilience (as well as fitness) to come into play.

 

[spot]

So my girlfriend made city finals on Saturday for USTA. The crazy thing is that USTA STILL hasn't told them when they will be playing on Saturday. The captain's packet says 5:30 at night. Tennislink says 8:30 in the morning. The coordinator says it might be at 11:00 with all 5 lines played at the same time.