Tennis Ladder Scoring System

🔹 Rule Summary

• Players earn points per match based on win/loss, games won, and opponent rank.
• Every game won by either player contributes to their score.
• Repeat wins against the same opponent in a short period yield diminishing returns.
• Head-to-head penalties reset after about 4 weeks (older matches are ignored for this part).
• 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 in the current season.

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1. Notation

For a single match we use:

• Rw = winner’s rank before the match (1 = top of ladder)
• Rl = loser’s rank before the match
• Gw = games won by the winner in this match
• Gl = games won by the loser in this match
• N = recent wins by this winner over this loser (roughly the last 4 weeks)

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2. Base points and upsets (winner only)

The system gives a base amount of points for winning, plus extra for an upset. This applies to the winner only.

We define the rank gap from the winner’s point of view:

ΔR = max(Rw − Rl, 0)
    

• If the winner was already higher on the ladder (smaller number), then ΔR = 0 and the win is "expected".
• If the winner was lower on the ladder (bigger number), then ΔR > 0 and the win is an upset.

The head-to-head factor reduces repeated wins over the same opponent:

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

The winner’s base points are:

Winner Base = (100 + 10 × ΔR) × HeadToHeadFactor(N)
    

• A normal win (no upset) gives about 100 base points.
• The bigger the upset (winner started much lower), the bigger the bonus.
• Repeating wins over the same opponent makes that base value shrink.
• The loser does not receive base win points – they only get game points (below).

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3. Game points with handicap

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.

Game points formula:

Game Points = Games Won × 10 × Handicap
    

The handicap depends on where you started on the ladder:

• The player who is expected to win (higher on the ladder, closer to #1) uses a handicap of about 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.

Let:

• Rhi = better rank (smaller number, the favorite)
• Rlo = worse rank (larger number, the underdog)

Then the handicaps are:

Favorite Handicap  ≈ 1.0
Underdog Handicap  = 1 + (1 − Rhi / Rlo)
                   = 2 − (Rhi / Rlo)
    

Examples:

• #1 vs #5:
  Favorite (#1): Handicap ≈ 1.0
  Underdog (#5): 1 + (1 − 1/5) = 1.8
• #2 vs #31:
  Favorite (#2): Handicap ≈ 1.0
  Underdog (#31): 1 + (1 − 2/31) ≈ 1.94

So the bigger the difference between the ranks, the larger the handicap for the underdog, and the more each of their games is worth.

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4. Total match points (ignoring weekly bonus)

Ignoring the weekly +10 play bonus for a moment, the match points from a single match are:

Winner Points = Winner Base + (Gw × 10 × Winner Handicap)
Loser  Points =               (Gl × 10 × Loser Handicap)
    

• The winner gets a base win/upset value plus game points with their handicap.
• The loser gets game points only, with their own handicap.
• If you are the underdog, each game you win is worth more than a favorite’s game.

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5. Weekly play bonus (+10)

• Each player can earn a +10 bonus once per calendar week (per season) by playing at least one match.
• The first match you play in a week gives you this +10 bonus (win or lose).
• Additional matches in the same week do not give extra weekly bonuses; you just earn the base + game points for those.

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6. Step-by-step example (ignoring weekly bonus)

Suppose:

• Player A is ranked #10
• Player B is ranked #3
• Score: A wins 6–4, 6–3 (A wins 12 games, B wins 7 games)
• In the last 4 weeks, A has no prior wins over B (N = 0)

1. Rank gap and head-to-head
   Winner is #10, loser is #3:
   ΔR = max(10 − 3, 0) = 7
HeadToHeadFactor(0) = 1.0
2. Winner Base
   Winner Base = (100 + 10 × 7) × 1.0 = 170
3. Game points with handicap
   Here #3 is the favorite, #10 is the underdog:
   Rhi = 3, Rlo = 10
   Favorite (B) handicap ≈ 1.0
   Underdog (A) handicap = 1 + (1 − 3/10) = 1.7

Game Points(A) = 12 × 10 × 1.7 = 204
Game Points(B) = 7 × 10 × 1.0 = 70
4. Total match points (before weekly bonus)
   Winner A = 170 + 204 = 374
Loser B = 70

If this was each player’s first match of the week, they would also receive a +10 weekly bonus, making it: Winner +384, Loser +80.

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7. Rankings and movement on the ladder

After each match, these points are added to each player’s season total. Ladder positions are then determined strictly by points:

• Players are ordered by total season points (highest first).
• Ties are broken using the player’s initial starting rank and other tie-breakers if needed.

You can see the breakdown of your matches and points on your My Stats page.