Tennis Ladder Scoring System

🔹 Rule Summary

• Players earn points per match based on win/loss, games won. The match winner gets 250 points plus games won points. The losing player also earns points but only for the games they won.
• Every game won by either player contributes to their score.
• The points awarded for games won is handicapped. The handicap multipler for the higher ranked player is 1 as they are expected to win. The handicap multiplier for the lower ranked player ranges from 1 to 2 depedning on the ranking difference between the players. See handicap definition below for more details
• Repeat wins against the same opponent in a short period earn lower returns. The short period is defined as 4 weeks. This is to encourage a much diversity of play as possible. See HeadToHeadFactor definition below for more details
• There is a weekly +10 point bonus for players who play at least one match in a week.
• Ladder ranking is based 100% on total points.

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Handicap Definition

• Rh = Number value of the higher ranked player before the match (1 = top of ladder)
• rl = Number value of the lower ranked player before the match (a value greater than 1)

Handicap factor for the lower ranked player is calculated as: (2 - (Rh / Rl))

Handicap factor for the higher ranked player is: 1.0

Example: Player 2 vs Player 5

• Player 2 handicap factor = 1.0
• Player 5 handicap factor = 2 - (2/5) = 1.6

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HeadToHeadFactor Definition

The head-to-head factor reduces the value of points earn from repeated wins over the same opponent in a 4 week period. If there is atleast 4 weeks between rematches the head-to-head factor resets to 1.0.

HeadToHeadFactor(HtH) =
  HtH = 0 → 1.00
  HtH = 1 → 0.75
  HtH = 2 → 0.50
  HtH ≥ 3 → 0.25
    

The winner’s base points are:

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Total Points Calculation

Every game won is worth points to the player who won it. To encourage "playing up," games won by the lower-ranked player are worth more.

Winners Points:(250 + (10 * No. Games Won * Handicap)) * H_tH

Losers Points:(10 * No. Games Won * Handicap) * H_tH

• The player who is expected to win (higher on the ladder) uses a handicap of 1.0.
• The lower-ranked player (the underdog) gets a larger handicap so each game they win is worth more than a game won by the favorite.