Technical guidelines
1. Tournament Rules
The tournament shall be governed by the current official pickleball rules, except where modified by the Tournament Committee.
Any local rules or tournament-specific regulations shall be announced before the start of competition.
2. Eligibility
Only officially registered players are eligible to compete.
Each participant may register for a maximum of three (3) categories.
Any player who achieves three (3) podium finishes in the same category in previous tournaments shall no longer be eligible to participate in that category and shall be advised to compete in the next higher category.
No player substitutions are allowed after the closing of the registration unless approved by the Tournament Committee.
3. Tournament Format
The tournament shall follow a Round Robin format during the preliminary round. Advancement from the brackets is as follows:
Executive Men's, Women's and Mixed Doubles: the top two (2) teams from each bracket advance to the Semifinals (crossover — Rank 1 vs Rank 2, Rank 2 vs Rank 1).
Beginner Men's and Mixed Doubles: the top one (1) team from each bracket advances to the Quarterfinals; the remaining two (2) slots are Wild Card berths, awarded by Average Point Differential (APD). Quarterfinals: R1-A vs WC1, R1-B vs R1-C, R1-D vs R1-E, R1-F vs WC2.
Beginner Women's Doubles: the top two (2) teams from each bracket advance to the Quarterfinals. Quarterfinals: R1-A vs R2-D, R1-B vs R2-C, R1-C vs R2-B, R1-D vs R2-A.
Novice Men's Doubles: the top two (2) teams from each bracket advance to the Quarterfinals. Quarterfinals: R1-A vs R2-D, R1-B vs R2-C, R1-C vs R2-B, R1-D vs R2-A.
Novice Women's and Mixed Doubles: the top two (2) teams from each bracket advance to the Semifinals (crossover — Rank 1 vs Rank 2, Rank 2 vs Rank 1).
Intermediate Men's Doubles: the top two (2) teams from each bracket advance to the Semifinals (crossover — Rank 1 vs Rank 2, Rank 2 vs Rank 1).
4. Match Format
Round Robin, Quarterfinals and Semifinals: One game to 11 points, change ends at 6; sudden death at 10-10 to determine the winner.
Championship Match and Battle for Bronze: One game to 15 points, change ends at 8. At 14-14, a maximum of two (2) slide twos; sudden death at 16-16 to determine the winner.
5. Court Assignment
Court assignments will be posted on the tournament app. Changes to court assignments may be made on the day of the tournament, as necessary.
Players shall report to the tournament venue at least thirty (30) minutes before their scheduled match.
Players shall immediately proceed to their assigned court when their match is called.
6. Warm-up
A maximum of 2 minutes of warm-up is allowed before each match.
7. Time-outs
Each team is entitled to only one (1) one-minute time-out per match.
Medical time-outs shall be granted for up to five (5) minutes.
8. Match Officials
Matches will be officiated by referees or designated tournament officials.
9. Line Calls
Players are responsible for making line calls on their own side of the court. However, the referee may overrule a line call if they clearly observed that the call was incorrect.
Referee decisions, when assigned, are final.
10. Service Rules
The referee shall announce the score before the server puts the ball into play.
The serve must comply with current official serving regulations.
An incorrect server or incorrect receiver shall receive a warning for the first offense. Any subsequent incorrect server or incorrect receiver violation shall result in the award of a point to the opposing team.
11. Injury and Medical Assistance
Injured players shall immediately notify the referee or court official.
Medical personnel may be called if available.
A player unable to continue shall forfeit the match.
12. Defaults and Forfeits
A player or team shall forfeit a match if:
Players who fail to appear within the five (5)-minute grace period after their match is called shall forfeit the match.
They refuse to continue the match.
13. Tie-Breaking (Round Robin)
If two or more teams finish with identical win–loss records, ties shall be broken in the following order:
Average point differential (APD).
Head-to-head result (win over the other team).
14. Tournament Committee Authority
The Tournament Committee has the authority to:
Interpret tournament rules.
Modify schedules when necessary.
Resolve disputes not specifically covered by these guidelines.
Make decisions in the best interest of fair play and participant safety.
15. Final Decision
All decisions made by the Tournament Committee regarding rules, scheduling, player eligibility, protests, and unforeseen circumstances are final and binding on all participants.
Registering means you agree to these